


At Chang Dai Orphanage

by merpprem



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Orphanage, Ash Lynx Loves Okumura Eiji, Bipolar Chapters (sad to cute to funny to what), Dark Past, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Human Trafficking, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Nightmares, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:21:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23909887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merpprem/pseuds/merpprem
Summary: “Eiji, what the fuck are you doing?”“Idiot, this could very well be a trap. No, don’t you dare—”“Shh! You’re going to wake the whole mansion!”“Excuse me, we’re gonna wake the mansion? The fuck you pullin’? You’re one to talk, you’re about to wake this random dude up—”“—are you shitting me, he’s dressed like he’s gonna pull up in daddy’s limo and strut like some fun-sized CEO—”“Oh, wow, that was oddly specific. Sing, hold my camera. If you accidentally break it, I’ll accidentally break you.”---Hidden in one of the city's many corners is a small and relatively unknown orphanage where fifteen-year-old Eiji Okumura lived. But perhaps "orphanage" was not the right word to describe Chang Dai, a place Nadia Wong and Charlie Dickinson created to protect a very small number of children from the eyes of the government and the faulty foster system. After years of hiding from his own demons and protecting the younger ones from theirs, Eiji could almost forget that they weren't exactly safe.At least, until he met Ash Lynx while breaking into Lee Mansion.At least, until he found out about Project Banana Fish.
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji, Lee Yut-Lung/Sing Soo-Ling
Comments: 60
Kudos: 111





	1. Dinnertime at Chang Dai

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm trying out fanfiction writing hehe c: I hope you guys like this introductory chapter, I tried my best to make the characters as close to canon as possible while still applying lotsa changes. 
> 
> NOTE THAT:  
> \- While Ash never made it to Club Cod, Ash personally stumbles upon Golzine instead and ends up still experiencing hell, but with no knowledge of Club Cod  
> \- Griffin dies in Iraq  
> \- Banana Fish is not an assassination drug  
> \- Ash is only a year younger than Eiji (a little irrelevant, but some may wanna know hehe)
> 
> Please enjoy reading! :>

“Eiji,” a soft voice called from the other room. Without taking his eyes off of the carrot that he was currently peeling with his favorite knife, Eiji angled his head in the direction of the doorway and opened his mouth to reply.

“Yes?”

“Could you please make a little extra soup? Charlie said he might visit again tonight.”

“Okay, Nadia!”

“Thank you, Eiji.” Eiji finished peeling the carrot and leaned down in concentration, chopping the carrots up swiftly in a practiced manner. After he finished, he slid his knife down the cutting board to set the carrots aside with the ones that he had already prepared, humming to himself and smiling toothily at his little accomplishment. 

_Butter, then the onions, curry paste,_ Eiji recited in his head, puffing out his cherub cheeks and pursing his lips together. He wanted to get this right. With one hand tossing the onions around the pot with a small spatula, Eiji tiptoed on his high stool to reach the broth and the stuff that made the soup creamy. He added some garlic before he poured in the carrots, his eyes sparkling and a soft “ooh” of wonder escaping from his mouth.

 _It smells really good, I want everyone to like it,_ Eiji thought as he finished, closing the pot and letting it all boil. As he set aside his knife, he barely managed to hear the lightest of footsteps approaching the kitchens. Turning his head again sideways, he was met with Yut Lung’s dark eyes peeking from the doorway, his loose curtain of hair falling over half of his face. He was dressed in grey trousers and a simple white sweater, and while the clothes were certainly cheap and quite loose on his slim frame, he still looked like the regal angel that stepped into the orphanage five months ago. 

_Wearing a black cheongsam and with red delicately painted over his lips and cheeks, his eyes lined with kohl, hard and glinting like onyx and clutching_ _—_

“Yue!” Eiji’s smile grew even wider at the sight of the six-year-old. Eiji discreetly switched the heat at a lower setting with his eyes still on him, letting the younger one know that Eiji was paying Yut-Lung his full attention. “Are you hungry? I’ll be finished soon, Mooncake.”

Yut-Lung scoffed at the nickname and crossed his arms over his chest indignantly. “I am a big boy now, Eiji,” he said hotly, tilting his chin upwards, and Eiji bit his lip to stop himself from smiling at how Yut-Lung pronounced his name as “Eychee”. “And… and I, I wanted to ask you, if you could t-tie my hair.”

 _Nadia_ did _say that Yut-Lung turned out to be a really smart child,_ Eiji thought with pride, recognizing that the younger boy barely stumbled through his English. _He seems a little flustered, but maybe it’s because he is asking me for help after saying he was a “big boy” now_.

Eiji jumped from his stool. _The soup can wait, Yue’s hair is a little bit more important,_ Eiji decided as he wordlessly led him to a wooden chair. Yue handed Eiji a small Chinese comb, white lilies painted over the thick wooden base, which Eiji promptly used to brush his midnight hair over Yue’s left shoulder without even sparing a curious glance at the obviously expensive item. Gathering up his long hair with one hand and untangling the loose knots in his hair, Eiji used Yue’s signature red band to tie it all up neatly, leaving a bit of his fringe to frame his face softly. 

“All done, Mooncake!” Yut-Lung’s pale fingers ran through his hair, and in contrast to the usual stoic mask he hides behind, he giggled a little. 

“Xie xie ni,” Yut-Lung thanked, the Mandarin sliding off his tongue naturally. Eiji patted his head, returning to his high stool and grabbing the salt from the counter.

“Bu ke qi.” Eiji answered in clumsy Chinese, but he knew Yut-Lung appreciated it anyway. “Do you want to taste the carrot soup for me?”

Yut-Lung nodded quickly, eagerly approaching the counter. Eiji blew on a spoonful of the carrot soup before slipping the spoon in Yut-Lung’s mouth. 

“Yummy?” Eiji questioned. Yue nodded, before completely swallowing the carrot soup and gulping it down. He paused. 

“But more salt,” he licked his lips thoughtfully. Eiji nodded. 

“Can you help me set the table?” 

“Hmm… only if you give me more soup than the others.” Yut-Lung puffed his chest up a bit, and Eiji laughed, acquiescing to his request and taking another spoonful of carrot soup from the pot.

“Just one more spoon, then. Say _‘aah’,”_ The Chinese boy gracefully leaned forward and sipped from the spoon. 

“You are good at making food. Like Mama,” Yue complimented, and while Eiji noticed the subtle sadness in his words, his nine-year-old self wasn’t capable of understanding the flash of pain and grief in his friend’s dark eyes. He gently placed a hand on Yue’s cheek, kissing the top of his head like how Nadia kissed everyone in the orphanage before sending them off to bed.

“Yes, your Mama guided me to you, so that I can keep making you good food even when she cannot.” The younger boy didn’t hug Eiji, didn’t even lift his arms, but he let his forehead rest on Eiji’s chest and broke from his usual perfect posture. 

“I miss Mama,” he whispered. The Japanese boy said nothing again, opting to pat his back soothingly and holding the other in a loose embrace. 

It was dinnertime once again at Chang Dai Orphanage.

* * *

The very first time that Eiji met Charlie was a week after he had settled in the orphanage. Charlie, a gangly ginger-haired man, was dressed in a brown suit with a gold badge pinned to his belt. Eiji had stared at a familiar hint of metal peeking under his blazer, trying to figure out if Charlie was going to cause trouble, before innocently asking him if he was a policeman. Charlie had smiled at him before nodding and explaining that he was, to be more specific, a detective that helped catch those who hurt other people. But it was only when Nadia hugged the man in greeting and explained to Eiji that he helped her start Chang Dai, that Eiji relaxed around the man. 

After a few months, Eiji had finally taken a strong liking to the brash redhead when he had seen how gentle Charlie had been when he took a new boy in Chang Dai. Skip, a boy of around three years old, had been crying when Nadia pulled them in from the rain, and Eiji had witnessed how patient Charlie had been, drying Skip’s hair and his tears. In the blink of an eye, Eiji had known Charlie for about a year and trusted him almost as much as he trusted Nadia.

By the time Charlie arrived that night, everyone was already seated at the table and helping themselves to Eiji’s carrot soup.

“Hello, Charlie,” Nadia greeted demurely, setting down her bowl. “Everyone, greet Mr. Dickinson a good evening!”

“Good evening, Mr. Dickinson!” chorused the small group of children as Charlie took a seat beside Nadia. He gave a friendly little wave in return. Sing Soo-Ling, a Chinese boy who had spent all of his five years in Chang Dai, tugged at Eiji’s sleeve. 

“Eiji, Eiji!” he giggled, giving Eiji a wide grin. “Eiji, did you make this?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“I like it.” _Absolutely adorable,_ Eiji cooed in his head as he watched Sing swipe his bowl from the table and slurp down the remaining carrot soup. “Creamy!”

“Woah, woah, are you saying that _Eiji,_ a mere _nine-year-old,_ made this heavenly concoction?” Charlie exclaimed, wide eyes going back and forth between the soup and the Japanese boy in question. Eiji blushed under the praise, filing the word “concoction” in his head. He would have to look that word up later.

He looked down at his hands, trying to smother his swelling pride. “N-Nadia taught me how, sir.” 

“What’re you looking down for, kid, you should be real proud of this! It was as if Nadia herself made this!” Out of the corner of his eye, Eiji noticed it was Nadia’s turn to redden, although it was so subtle that Charlie hadn’t noticed. “Say, Nadia, have you considered running a restaurant on the side? It might help with the bills, and we can send most of ‘em to a proper school!”

Nadia sighed. “I had thought about it, Charlie, but they’re not old enough to take care of themselves while I’m gone.”

“By the looks of it, I’m sure that Eiji _—”_

“Eiji, Eiji!” Sing was tugging at his sleeve again, a carroty mustache above his pouting lips. Eiji snapped back from his little eavesdropping moment, looking down at Sing’s wide eyes and absent-mindedly brushed away the soup on his face. 

“Yes, Sing?” 

“Will you read to me later?” 

At Sing’s childish favor, Yut-Lung’s head also snapped up similarly to Eji, and he set Sing with a cold glare. “Eiji is already reading to me.”

Sing looked crushed. Eiji hastily tried to remedy the situation. “Don’t worry, I’ll read to both of you.” He turned to the smug-looking boy. “Be nice to Sing.” 

“Why’re you looking like that, squirt?”

“Shorter!” cried Sing, wrapping his arms around a dark-skinned boy wearing a rather large pair of sunglasses on his face. Shorter yelped, his grip on his half-empty bowl almost slipping. “Yue’s n-not, he’s not sharing Eiji!”

“Geez, what are you, five?” Shorter paused. “Wait, you are five.” Eiji resisted the urge to snort, helping Shorter get loose from Sing’s chaotically painful grip. “You’re quite the popular one, Eiji. Can’t you just read to them both?”

“That’s what I said,” grumbled Eiji as Sing finally released Shorter, only to shoot his chubby little arms under Eiji’s elbows, squeezing his waist tightly. “Oof!” Sing knocked the wind out of him. Shorter guffawed.

Yut-Lung, who hadn’t stopped glaring at Sing, spat out, “Absolutely distasteful.” In Eiji’s arms, Sing furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth, probably to ask what “distasteful” meant, so Eiji quickly cut him off with a nervous chuckle. 

“Ah, hah,” he half-chuckled, half-coughed. “Skip, do you want to join Sing and Yue tonight?” Skip, the first one to finish eating, looked up from where he was washing his bowl. His eyes were alight with eagerness, a far cry from the dull coal they had been when he first came to the orphanage.

“I want fairytale!” Skip yipped.

“Me too!” 

Shorter, bless him, had walked over to Yut-Lung and settled a hand down his shoulder, a subtle way of keeping him in the conversation, and in the present too. Eiji had noticed that his eyes were getting a little glassy. “You okay with everyone listening to Eiji, Yut-Lung?” Shorter asked, his tone deceptively careless, but with an underlying hint of gentleness that came with being Nadia’s brother, that came with being the one to welcome the other four boys into Chang Dai. 

“Yeah,” Yut-Lung blinked. Eiji and Shorter could practically see his focus leaving whatever bad nightmare he had thought of and returning to the scene in front of him. “That is okay.” 

* * *

  
  


_Happy birthday, to you._

Ash was walking. With nothing else but a bagful of clothes and a purse full of money, he walked behind street lamps, away from the light and away from the doors and windows that Ash was too wary to walk beside. He had his head down and his shoulders slumped forward, but underneath his blonde fringe were jade eyes that were sparking with life, with an alertness and an awareness that only belonged to people with something to hide.

_Happy birthday, to you._

He didn’t know exactly where he was, but Ash could guess that he was still in Massachusetts. He’d only been walking for a few hours, after all. Ash wondered in his head if his act could be counted as “running away” when he had actually just walked out the front door like he was going out for a walk. He supposed that it still did, because he didn’t plan on returning and, if he saw fit, would break into a run if it meant not having to go back.

He clutched the only personal item he had on him to his chest. It was a boxful of poems and letters that his older brother Griffin had written. He hadn’t heard from his brother in a year, the last letter a rather lengthy seventh birthday letter with another adventurous tale of his service in Iraq, as well as a promise to be home soon. _I will do my best to make it before you turn nine years old,_ he wrote. _I wouldn’t wanna miss my little soldier growing up._

_Happy birthday, dear Ash…_

Ash thought of Jennifer, her eyebrows permanently wrinkled with worry, her thin lips drawn up in a pained smile, and her hands veiny yet gentle when they pushed his hair back. He thought of his father, Jim Callenreese, who called him names and told him to suck it up and ask for payment the next time, not caring that his son had just been used and exploited, not caring for _Ash_ or _Griffin,_ blind to the tear tracks drying on Ash’s cheeks. But Ash thought of the many times that Jim had entered his room when he thought Ash was asleep, the sacred, secret times where Jim pulled up a chair and sat next to his son. He thought of Griffin, his memory beating alongside Ash’s heart, his face now a little unclear in Ash’s mind, but the lingering feeling of his affection still haunting Ash’s dreams and arms. He thought of _him,_ his baseball coach, who had tricked him, who had made him feel worthless and who had ruined Ash's _—_

… Ash’s what, exactly? What was there to ruin when Ash had nothing in the first place? 

_Happy birthday to you._

Ash stopped walking. He slowly looked up to meet the beady eyes of a tall, balding man. Ash fought down the urge to shiver in unease as the man stared at him, giving him a slow and thorough once-over. Ash gripped his bag’s strap a little harder, forcing himself to continue looking straight at the man. 

“Hmm,” the man murmured, taking a step forward. “Pardon me for intruding, but you look like someone who could make use of a bit of cash.” He leaned down, a twisted smirk on his lips.

Despite the foreboding, disgusting feeling of something crawling under his skin, Ash doubted that he could ignore the stronger feeling of hunger that clawed at his stomach. 

He nodded once, and the man’s smirk grew. 

_And no matter how difficult that promise of coming home to you soon will be, it’ll be worth it to watch you eat your words when I get back! Stay out of trouble, you hear me? I love you, Ash, Happy birthday again._

* * *

Two years after leaving the mansion, and Yut-Lung still had nightmares. 

Yut-Lung didn’t feel any shame about that. After all, who _didn’t_ have nightmares in Chang Dai? He would sometimes wake up to Skip whimpering in the middle of the night, whispering, “M-mama… please d-don’t hurt me…” or “You’re not, m-my real mama… she would ne-never hurt me!” Sing wasn’t any better despite not going through the consequences of a foster system that was yet to be perfected. Having lived all his life in Chang Dai, he had never experienced being wanted by his real parents. Even though Sing was a quiet sleeper, Yut-Lung knew the boy feared Nadia and Shorter abandoning him as well. He had listened to the younger boy’s quiet sobs, after all, when Sing believed that no one could hear him through the bathroom door and the sound of their shower. 

And Shorter, as Nadia’s real brother, felt responsible for them all. He wasn’t obvious about it, but he always kept Sing, Skip and Yut-Lung in sight. He had scared off the children that bullied Skip for his dark skin, he had helped Sing with his math homework and he always made the effort of pulling Yut-Lung in conversations. Shorter was doing his best at making Chang Dai a comfortable place for the four orphans under his sister’s care, and he was even helping Nadia at the restaurant while Eiji watched over Yut-Lung, Sing, and Skip. 

And Eiji, the eldest of the five… Yut-Lung gazed out the window, hugging one knee to his chest and leaning forward in his chair. Eiji had nightmares, alright. He would show no sign of it when he was asleep, but he’d jolt into a sitting position on his bed, and he would be out of breath and wide-eyed, violently swinging his head side to side and taking in the sight of their shared bedroom. Yut-Lung also remembered a darker time, a time when no one could get Eiji to speak a single word. 

Looking up at the stars twinkling against the slight dusting of the clouds, Yut-Lung remembered being six years old and entering the orphanage for the first time. How he had thought Eiji was mute for a whole three months, before Eiji found him thrashing in the throes of a nightmare, and he finally heard a whisper of comfort come out from the Japanese boy’s lips…

Yes, everyone at Chang Dai had nightmares. But it was only Yut-Lung who had nightmares that could very well follow him into reality. His brothers were probably still alive, after all. 

Yut-Lung tore his gaze away from the window and placed his chin on his palm, blearily observing the other four boys in the room. Their breathing patterns were consistent, slow, and deep. He was the only restless one tonight. 

He fell asleep on the study table a few minutes later, and the young boy dreamed of the feeling of herbs against his fingertips, a blackboard full of chemical equations, and a salty taste lingering on his tongue and in his throat.

* * *

Eiji was twelve years old when Shorter pulled him aside before lunch. 

“Hey, Eiji, I gotta ask you something.”

“Sure, what is it, Shorter?”

Shorter took a deep breath. “Could you watch over Sing, Skip, and Yut-Lung all by yourself? I want to help Nadia at the restaurant and to look for more work outside.”

Eiji blinked, and in a heartbeat, replied without much thought. “Sure.”

“Frick, I’m real sorry, man, it’s prolly a lot to ask from you, but if y _—_ what? Hold on, you’re a’ights with it?” Eiji nodded. Shorter stared. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Holy hell, man, it’s a pretty big thing to take charge of the house and those three idiots.”

“Well, you did ask me.” Eiji shrugged. “And I’m older than you. Technically, it should be me who has to go out and help Nadia, but then again, you’re probably not going to be as useless as I am.”

In a flash, Shorter’s gaze hardened. “Ei-chan…”

The warning in Shorter’s voice led him to believe that he had said something wrong. Eiji’s words replayed hurriedly in his mind, and Eiji froze as he registered what he had said. Calmly schooling his face to sport a sunny smile, Eiji glanced up to look Shorter straight in the eye. 

As Eiji opened his mouth to casually steer the conversation into a different course, Shorter tsked and cooly cut him off, “‘No one is allowed to talk shit about Eiji, or I will poison them straight into the gates of Hell’... that’s what our darling lil’ Yue said, right? He wouldn’t want to hear you saying something like that.”

Eiji slumped, sighing, but did not offer a response. Shorter didn’t need to coddle him or anything, Eiji knew that he wasn’t particularly the most skilled among the five, in fact, he was far from being remarkable, despite being the eldest. He didn’t know why the other boy seemed so sensitive to what Eiji said about himself, after all, if it mattered little to Eiji, then shouldn’t it be unimportant to Shorter as well? He started a little when he felt Shorter wrap his arms around his shoulders. Eiji didn’t even get to scowl at the massive height difference between the two before Shorter pulled him closer, resting his chin on Eiji’s shoulder. 

“You’re so precious to us, Ei-chan,” Shorter murmured. Eiji swallowed, feeling a pleasant warmth buzz in his chest, and reaching up to hug the eleven-year-old back.

“You all are treasures to me, Shorter.”

“Sappy idiot.”

When Eiji was thirteen and when Shorter was twelve, the taller boy got a mohawk and started working under a mechanic two blocks away. Shorter was also apparently gaining rank in the local gang, and was entrusted by the boss to do some of his more personal errands. 

And when Shorter walked in one day with his hair a flaming shade of purple, Sing took one look at him and howled with laughter, unable to contain his amusement. Yut-Lung had entered the room and was probably very close to hissing out some reprimand at Sing for being “so obnoxiously loud I wonder if you had finally impaired your own fucking hearing”, when he too glanced at Shorter. His eyes had widened, his jaw slackened, and upon seeing Yut-Lung’s reaction, Sing guffawed even louder. Nadia had only looked amused, bravely sporting a pixie cut herself, but c’mon, Eiji thought, Shorter was _purple._

Sing also became a member of the Chinatown gang when he turned nine. He was really, really short for his age, and secretly, Eij always thought that Sing kind of reminded him of a really cute rat, but Sing was honestly a real genius when it came down to strategy and gambling. Ever since Yue taught Sing how to play chess and poker when he was eight, the boy had quickly learned and had grown to be a frighteningly unbeatable force at Chang Dai in any kind of card game or board game. Through the years, he became a valued member for his ability to predict his opponents’ next move, and to land precise blows both in fights and in games to result in the gang’s victory. From what Eiji knew, Sing ruled the casinos with an iron fist and even helped pay the bills at the orphanage-restaurant hybrid that was Chang Dai. 

Skip, bless his young heart, had grown up loving boxing. He had watched all kinds of martial arts and boxing movies throughout his early childhood, and even asked Shorter to take him to see cage fights and ring matches. The boy was a natural, a little on the short side, but using that to his advantage. He stayed nimble on his feet and had even entered the ring once, and had come out victorious against some bulky teenager that reacted far too slowly. 

Yut-Lung, on the other hand, spent a lot of his time at the library. Eiji joined him a lot and read his own fair share of books, but Yue became obsessed with botany, medicine, and human anatomy. He had an affinity for all things biological and chemical and had all the ingredients of a budding doctor, although Eiji doubted Yut-Lung was going to be a doctor of all things. And Eiji himself? 

Eiji was nothing too special compared to the rest. He liked photography and was the best at cooking and cleaning, but the only striking thing about himself was that he had learned how to pole vault. 

_Pole in hand, a strange mix between fear and excitement keeping his heart rate up and his heels off the ground. He couldn’t feel the slight breeze ruffling his hair, he couldn’t feel the weight of his clothes on his skin, all he knew was that the flexible pole in his hand was warm and grounding, was the only thing that mattered. The only thing that mattered, the only thing that mattered…_

“Eiji, Eiji!” 

Eiji blinked. Shorter was waving his hand in front of Eiji’s face, the fourteen-year-old sighing in relief when Eiji’s eyes finally zeroed in on him.

“Good, you’re back. I need to tell you something.”

“Yes, what is it, Shorter?”

“Some people are after Yut-Lung.”


	2. Ashes, We All Fall Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you for making it this far, and a big thank you to those who're supporting the story! 
> 
> Also, just a little note that yes, besides a different backstory, there will also be something different about Eiji, like how Yue's grown more into his skills, how Skip became a promising street fighter, how Shorter dabbled in machinery and how Sing got into gambling. Ash is... mostly the same like seriously the manga already made him have so much substance so any more would make him downright inhuman, any less would be straying from his actual character so ngek. But I'm excited to show you guys what I've been thinking for this story!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter :>

“Some of my guys heard from the grapevine that one of the Lee brothers has been in town for a while now, and honestly, it’s a little shocking that the whole fucking neighborhood doesn’t know.” Shorter was pacing back and forth behind Nadia, who was seated on the couch and gripping her tea so tightly that Eiji feared the possibility of her blue veins popping. “I told ‘em to go into the city and try to gain as much info as possible, because why is a Lee in Manhattan, but steering clear from Chinatown? And then I find out,” Shorter anxiously ran a hand through his thin purple locks, “That Lee Hua Lung is combing through the streets, looking for Yut-Lung.” 

Eiji instinctively prepared to ask who the man was, but stopped at the last second and closed his mouth. He didn’t want to interrupt Shorter now, not when he could still get his answers by listening. Not when Yut-Lung was in danger, and Eiji himself was feeling helplessly out of his depth.

And honestly, Shorter was acting a little weird that Eiji felt even more confused. He had never seen the other boy so worried. Shorter brushed off everything with a laugh, brimming with confidence that it would all fall into place in the end. This side of Shorter was new to Eiji. That fact coupled with the imminent danger surrounding Yue and Chang Dai was scaring him.

“Are you saying that he came personally, instead of sending in professionals to find him?” Nadia’s voice, a soft tenor, was even quieter than usual. In response, Shorter growled. 

“He’s _accompanied_ by some sadist professionals. My men saw them enter some brothels, asking the pimps if they’ve caught whiffs of an androgynous Asian, petite, and long-haired. When they told him they didn’t know anything about Yue, the sick bastard apparently called in his _f_ _avors_ from each of them and messed with some of the prostitutes while doing business. He’s been going in and out of the Golzine mansion, too.” 

“Golzine? What does he want with him?” 

“I don’t know, I’m having some of my men get the lowdown on the dude, but they’re having a bit of trouble. Golzine is by no means, an easy man to find.”

Eiji was sitting on the opposite couch, head spinning and jaw clenched. He wondered if Shorter and Nadia were going to ask Yut-Lung if he was related to Lee Hua Lung, but Eiji supposed that Shorter and Nadia made the connection already, even if Eiji wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Yue was indeed related to what was quickly sounding like one of the most influential Chinese families in the country. At the very least, it would explain a lot of things about Yue, like the expensive clothes he came to the orphanage in, and the aristocratic features that made Yue absolutely beautiful.

Shorter swore under his breath, his hand coming down from his hair to rest at the back of his neck. He continued pacing agitatedly. “I can’t believe the fuckin’ _Lees_ are tiered with the lowly snakes of New York.” When Nadia didn’t say anything to that, Shorter swore again, muttering under his breath hateful phrases like “can’t be trusted” or “unbelievable, ridiculous!”.

“Where exactly was he last spotted?” Nadia asked, staring at her reflection in her undrunk tea.

“As of right now, inside a hotel in the Bronx. I don’t have enough men to tail all of his lackeys, but they’ve been out and about.”

“How do they even know Yut-Lung is in New York?”

Shorter barked out a laugh. “They don’t,” he answered bitterly. “He’s hijacking so many other people’s lives on a _hunch_ that he’s in New York. For all we know, he thinks Yue’s already dead and is just looking for an excuse to cause chaos.”

“Are you absolutely certain that they have no idea that he’s alive and in Manhattan?”

Shorter jerked to a stop for a full four seconds, before he continued to pace, albeit more slowly. “From what my men told me, there’s no pattern or anything that could possibly link his visits. I can have ‘em getta map or something and mark up the places that he’s already gone to, and we could have Sing take a good look. But my men are under the impression that Yut-Lung may not be the main reason why he’s in the city.”

“How so?”

“His visits to Golzine for one,” Shorted listed, ticking off his fingers to keep tally. “The fact that he only accompanies his men when they visit brothels or clubs, and the Lees’ erratic movement across the country. We know that the Lees have been going out of LA recently, and they’ve been spotted hanging around Oregon, Missouri, Idaho, and… I think they were last seen in Florida? All I’m saying is they’ve been spreading from their home ground and creeping up to New York little by little.”

“So… they’re on the lookout for him, but he’s not necessarily their top priority,” Nadia murmured. 

“Do you know what they want with Yue?”

“I can’t say for sure, Eiji, although judging from that son of a bitch’s most _recent actions,”_ Shorter spat out. “He could want Yue for… his, his _—”_

“Who’s looking for me?” 

Shorter and Nadia stiffened upon hearing the familiar yet sudden sharpness of Yut-Lung’s tone. The long-haired boy stepped inside the room, his back straight and his arms leisurely at his side, but the pallor of his face revealed his unease. 

No one dared answer Yut-Lung, who had his hair up in a braided bun. Wearing his hair like that, with ribbons lightly falling from his tresses and pooling around his neck and his shoulders, Eiji could only wonder how they didn’t think that Yut-Lung was anyone less than an unreachable blue blood before.

“I asked, who’s looking for me so that they can fuck me?” Eiji flinched at the uninhibited, casual way he had phrased his question. Yut-Lung narrowed his eyes. Not in suspicion, not in distrust, but with his question hanging in the air with a need to be answered. 

Silence followed. Eiji and Shorter shared a look. If Yut-Lung was going to get involved, it might end up badly. They knew that Yut-Lung shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near this mess, lest he ended up getting captured. 

Nadia set her porcelain cup down on the low coffee table. “We’ve been informed that Lee Hua Lung is searching for you.” When Shorter bristled behind her, an argument at the tip of his tongue, Nadia held up a hand to calm her little brother. Her eyes met Yut-Lung, and Eiji could only hope that Nadia would be successful in trying to rein in the storm that was rapidly building up inside the petite dark-haired boy. His eye twitched, his fingers fisted themselves in his thin dress shirt, and his lips parted in horror. Eiji could see his eyes glazing over once again as Yut-Lung began to see something other than Nadia, Shorter and Eiji, something far more sinister, perhaps the beginnings of a nightmare. Nadia stood up. 

“But, he will not be able to find you.” Nadia promised, her calming voice almost echoing as it sliced through the growing tension in the room. Eiji couldn’t help but believe every word of it, and it seemed that Nadia’s confidence helped Yut-Lung feel at ease too. His fingers twitched once before relaxing, his nails brushing against his black pants as they fell to rest against his sides. “Shorter, get the latest updates from your men and ask them to investigate the Lee Mansion. Eiji, close up shop and make sure all doors and windows are locked. I’ll go get Skip and Sing, and we’ll find a way to safely get in touch with Charlie.”

And with Nadia’s cool assurance and with something to _do,_ something to take their minds off of the fact that one of their own was being hunted, they moved. Shorter was the first to leave, getting his phone out and crossing the room in two long strides. Eiji followed, heading for the front of the building with a million unprocessed thoughts and feelings buzzing in his head. 

He kindly told the few customers that were eating a late lunch or an early dinner at 4 in the afternoon that they will be closing in fifteen minutes, giving them no explanation as to why when none of them asked for one. He swiftly flipped the “OPEN” sign to read “CLOSED” instead, subtly eyeing the windows as he moved around, and making sure they were all locked. Once all of their customers were out, he spent the next hour clearing tables and cleaning dishes, taking inventory and mopping the floor, all in anticipation for the next time that Chang Dai would be opening. The probability of the next opening not being tomorrow was not lost on him.

After checking for one last time that the doors and windows were secured, Eiji switched off the lights and untied his apron, tossing it against the back of a chair. 

Nadia knocked once before opening the door, her figure slipping through the crack before she closed the door behind her. “Thank you for closing shop, Eiji.” Eiji nodded, putting away the mop and the bucket and wordlessly waiting for her to continue. She pierced him with an appraising lock as he shut the door and faced her, and another short silence formed between them. 

Nadia was the first to break it, lowering her eyes and sighing. “We’ve contacted Charlie in a place that can’t be traced back here. Sing and Skip are with Yut-Lung right now in the main building, and Shorter’s on his way back.”

“Yut-Lung will stay here?”

“Chang Dai is the most well-kept secret of New York City, I doubt there is any other place that can be safer than here.” He could hear the faint hints of pride coloring her words with passion. 

“That is true,” he agreed, smiling at the woman who took him in when he had nowhere to go. Said woman offered her own half-smile, before pulling a seat out and gesturing for Eiji to sit as well. Eiji perked up at the invitation and obeyed. 

“I’m sure you have some questions, and I’ll do my best to explain the full gravity of the situation. You see,” Nadia hesitated, a finger curling around her chin as she pondered on her words. “The Lee family is a highly respected clan that gave many Asians a chance to live fruitfully in this country. They are wealthy, powerful, and most of us believed that the Lees’ main interest was to protect those without the power to protect themselves, and to provide us with equal opportunity. With half of us in favor of the Lees and the other half indebted to them, they quickly became one of the most powerful families here. The current head is the eldest of six brothers, and among the other five brothers is Lee Hua Lung. Yut-Lung earlier confirmed that he is the secret seventh brother who they are now trying to profit from or weaponize.”

“Profit from…?”

Nadia grimaced. “He is very beautiful, many would want to buy his body.”

“Weaponize?”

“They can try to make use of Yut-Lung’s body, or perhaps even his intelligence. They could coerce him into helping them achieve their own goals. They haven’t burned the country looking for him, so they probably believe that he is not exactly necessary to their plans, but could serve as a catalyst of sorts. Lee Hua Lung has been calling in favors and wrecking the whole town apart, putting some small shops out of business and sending in his henchmen to harass others in the city.”

“You say he’s very powerful, so what would be the point of wreaking havoc in the city anyway? He must have other alternatives as well, with all that money.”

Nadia’s lip twitched downwards into a half-sneer, the emotion present but not that strong. “Honestly, Shorter and I think he is just on some sort of power trip.”

At that very moment, another knock came from the door to the main building. Shorter, in a manner that closely resembled his sister’s, opened the door and slipped through, shutting it behind him. 

“We need to bust in Lee Mansion.”

Well, Shorter had always been someone who went straight to the point. Never mind that some of the ordinary people, Eiji included, are fifty percent more likely to receive a heart attack with him around. 

* * *

Ash’s assignments weren’t as many as he originally thought they would be when he was younger, although, considering the nature of the assignments given to him, he wouldn’t exactly count that as a good thing. 

Sighing at the stack of business proposals and contracts that Golzine ordered him to annotate, Ash leaned back in his chair and thought of the evening to come. By six o'clock, he was to start preparing to head to his next client. He had already planned out his outfit and the products that he was going to use on his body, so he estimated that he’d spend only around an hour on getting ready. That left him thirty minutes of more annotating, and while Ash normally welcomed any source of mental stimulation, he wasn’t really pleased that Golzine of all people was benefitting from his work. That and business papers weren’t exactly Ash’s cup of tea, as they were written to sound as stuck-up as possible to try and conceal all kinds of loopholes. The sheet in front of him was covered in Ash’s blue highlighter and his red marker. Seriously, the number of people who still tried to foolishly gain the upper hand in these business dealings, even when Ash was around, never decreased.

 _Idiots,_ Ash thought, encircling the projected figure and scrawling a significantly lower number below it. _How are these people heading top corporations again?_

Upon thinking that, Ash scowled. What was worse than being forced to do work for someone he hated with everything he had? Well, there were the rare moments that Ash almost forgot why exactly he was doing all this, the fact that he just brainlessly continued to learn and hone his skills. There were also the most disgusting times when his mind subconsciously accepted that Golzine was a part of him. When Ash acknowledged that it was only through Golzine’s teachings, money, libraries, influence and hired mentors that Ash got this far.

Why _was_ he putting up with this total bullshit? He absolutely loathed the fact that he had no choice but to play his part, biding his time and making use of Golzine’s resources to better himself. Trying to escape his role as Golzine’s pet was almost impossible, the risks were too high and he would end up doing more bad than good. It didn’t stop Ash from yearning for his freedom, though, and sometimes, he couldn’t help but wish for poverty, wish for total rock bottom, wish for death, wish for anything other than this feeling of self-loathing. He feared that he would become everything he hated. 

Ash buried his face in his hands. _No, no,_ he lightly slapped his cheeks a few times, groaning. _No, remember that, one day, you’ll be the one to finally stop Golzine from harming anyone else again. From harming_ you _again._ You _can’t do that when you’re dead, you have to stay alive. You have to keep going._

 _Don’t give up._

_Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up._

But what was the point of him living? What was the point of it all?

_Don’t give up. Don’t forget. Don’t give in._

_Don’t give up. Don’t give up._

Shit, Ash hated everything.

_Don’t give up, don’t give up, don’t give up don’t give up._

_Don’t give up don’t give up don’t give up don’tgiveupgiveupgiveupgiveup—_

The grandfather clock in Ash’s room rang. It was six o’ clock. When Ash looked up from where he had pressed his palms against his eyes, the room was blurrier than usual. Then, the tears started to fall. 

He stood up to get ready for his bath. 

* * *

He went for a slightly more sophisticated air tonight. 

He tugged his black boat shoes on and buttoned his grey waistcoat, trying to get used to the smell of his own cologne. Golzine ordered him to dress nicely without overdoing it, which was another way of saying his client liked them young. Ash had wrestled his knee-jerk reaction of taking the piss and slicking his hair back and donning some white cufflinks and some posh cravat, but thought better of it. 

As soon as Ash finished, he heard footsteps approaching his room. Knowing that they probably didn’t give a fuck about things like Ash’s privacy or, god forbid, showing some human decency, he hurried to open the door himself. 

He was met with Marvin standing by the door, a smirk on his face. Ash tried to ignore the lascivious leer Marvin gave him, and spat out, “You can tell Dino I’m leaving now.”

“It’s _Papa_ Dino, kid. Get it right,” Marvin pulled his wrist and slammed the door closed, shoving him aside. “Lucky for you, Papa Dino said the client didn’t want no damaged goods. Didn’t say anything about after, though.” The huge man leaned forward, and Ash caught a whiff of nicotine and gunpowder. 

Ash pulled away. “Whatever.” He was too tired to put up a fight, even if it did seem like the perfect opportunity to rile the despicable bonehead up. After all, he couldn’t hurt him. _Yet._ Ash ignored the wandering hand that brushed against his ass and tried to remain unaffected, fighting the urge to speed up. Living as a captive definitely did wonders to Ash’s self-control and patience.

That was his life now, everything and everyone trying to tyrannize him. Even Ash was oppressing himself.

The client had requested not to be seen with him, but had been “considerate” enough to send a car. Golzine usually had someone take pictures of Ash and his clients on the sly for some sort of insurance, so Ash wondered how Golzine was going to get a picture. _Unless,_ the reason dawned on Ash as he pondered on it while Marvin roughly pushed him inside the car. _Unless the man was untouchable, or at the very least, immune to the way Golzine usually used to get the upper hand._

Ash shifted in his seat, pulling out of his thoughts to process that he was inside a luxurious BMW, with the windows tinted so heavily that Ash himself couldn’t even see out of it. He also couldn’t see the driver, due to there being some sort of fancy partition that Ash had only ever imagined in limousines. There was no way for him to know where he was going or to even entertain himself by staring at the street outside. Ash sighed, closing his eyes and allowing himself a little bit of rest.

He hated this job, too, but his… experiences with his clients were never as bad as his encounters at Golizine’s. Ash could only hope that it would be the same for tonight, although it unsettled him that this didn’t seem to be the usual kind of dude that he had dealt with in the past. 

Golzine never discussed with him who his clients were, although he had always made sure to give Ash another order. He was made to persuade them to make another deal with Golzine, he was ordered to act as their delivery boy, passing messages and receiving packages, and he was also tasked with getting information. No, Golzine had all the money in the world, and he had always been a possessive bastard. He’d never let just anyone touch his prized pet, not without an added boon. 

Ash felt the beginnings of nausea, almost gagging at his own train of thought. He didn’t know if he would actually prefer to be a common whore of no importance and out of Golzine’s radar, but as of now, the answer would be a resounding yes. 

A few more minutes of peace followed before the car rolled to a stop. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to wait for the chauffeur to get out of the car and open the door or something, and Ash honestly didn’t want him to. He reached for the door handle, but was beaten by someone opening it for him. Ash didn’t react and stepped out of the car before the other man quietly shut the door behind him. Observing him out of the corner of his eye, Ash noticed that the man, who was in a navy blue waistcoat and black boat shoes, had an earpiece plugged in his left ear. 

How… high-tech.

The man dipped his head in greeting before turning to walk towards the manor, expecting Ash to follow. Ash fell into step behind him, curiously taking in his surroundings. A large and unclimbable gate behind them, a fountain, many well-maintained hedges, but no places for people to sit or walk on. A rich man who had no time for anything other than well-kept appearances. The mansion itself was three stories high, impossibly tall with two long pillars framing its double doors. A limousine and another BMW were parked up front, but Ash knew and understood many of the filthy rich. This guy would have a garage a block long, with sports cars lined up from the garage door to the opposite wall. 

Ash barely managed to catch the faint whirring of security cameras, and only because he was straining his ears to hear it. But even if Ash strained his eyes to see them, he couldn’t see anything that would remotely resemble a camera. 

And the inside of the manor was as telling as the outside. It was, in the simplest of descriptions, indulgent, all white furry rugs, gold-framed paintings and chandeliers. Ash mentally snorted at the conversation pit in the middle of the room, stuffed with rigid, unused leather couches that made the setting anything but comfortable. 

The guy gestured for Ash to sit, a glass of water already propped up on the table. _Even his coaster’s got no personality,_ Ash thought, taking the offered glass and eyeing the grey, wiry coaster underneath. After waiting for a few minutes, an older girl dressed in a frilly but simple maid outfit descended down the grand marble staircase.

“Hello, Master Lee is waiting for you, young sir,” Ash felt genuine surprise, both at finally hearing the name of his client and at the respect in her tone, and moved to stand up in acknowledgment, setting the glass down. “Please follow me.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Ash couldn’t help but reply back, cocking his head to the side when the young woman in front him looked just as surprised as he was. Well, perhaps for the likes of them, courtesy was far from common. The soft but sincere smile the girl gave him made Ash’s heart twinge painfully at the thought that this sweet-looking girl had suffered much as well.

Ash was led to the very top floor, and on the way, he couldn’t help notice with a sinking stomach that she seemed more and more reluctant to lead him. Ash swallowed, trying to ignore the guilt swimming up in her eyes. “I’m not gonna like what this Master Lee is gonna do to me, huh?”

She looked away. Well, there was his answer. 

And upon seeing this Lee in person, Ash could plainly see why the girl had been so afraid. 

Lee wore a silk black shirt with the top button undone. He wore no shoes, and he was leaning casually on a more tasteful red couch, his feet propped up on a glass table. Cigarette in hand, he had an arm resting on the back of the couch, his other hand twiddling with a fountain pen as he read over a sheet of paper. 

“Come here, boy,” Lee murmured, beckoning him with a lazy gesture of his hand. The maid bowed before shutting the door closed, leaving Ash alone with the Asian man. Ash steeled himself and locked away his usual defiant attitude. It would hurt less that way, for him to detach from his very nature and just wait it out. Without taking his eyes off of the paper in front of him, Lee patted the spot beside him. 

With a cold shiver down his spine and with a great effort to erase any willful thought from his mind, Ash sat down next to him. Lee continued reading for another few minutes, and Ash didn’t dare move any closer or any further, feeling the heat of the other man and deciding that he didn't like it. 

Then, Lee’s hand moved. 

Ash closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. The offending hand touched his shoulder briefly before descending down his arm, and still, Lee continued reading. “Take off your clothes.”

 _His accent isn’t that strong,_ Ash focused on instead, his heartbeat speeding up. No matter how many times he did it, he never, ever liked it. So he thought of other things instead. _His features are hard and rough, not like the typical Asian’s. Is he pure Chinese? Maybe his mom’s American? But his eyes are monolid and his skin’s a little on the yellow side._

Ash’s shirt was off, as well as his shoes. His belt and his pants followed afterward. _I wonder what this scumbag's reading. I hope it's twice as boring as the paperwork I was dealing with awhile ago._ Lee took one last burning look at the print in front of him, then signed his name at the bottom of the paper. He swung his feet off the table and rested them on his carpeted floor.

 _Smack_!

Ash wasn’t expecting it. If he had, he would have been able to cushion his own fall. But Lee’s hand had struck his face so suddenly that Ash fell to his knees with a cry, his teeth catching the inside of his cheek. He felt a coppery taste flood his mouth, and a hand roughly grabbing his hair. 

Ash's already bruised cheek hit the edge of the glass table, his arms automatically reaching for the carpet and bracing himself. Lee sniggered behind him, and Ash could only close his eyes again and bite his lip to stop himself from cursing when he felt the cold metal of Lee's many rings brush against his chest. A warning, Ash supposed. 

He heard the sound of a zipper, but not the rustling of clothing.

 _Lee is hella violent, even more than Dino. I don’t think anyone could beat Marvin, though._ Ash was flipped and forced to his knees.

“Suck.”

Fuck, Ash’s life really sucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I hope you guys like it, and I hope if you have time, you can leave a little feedback, or even a random message hehe :> Not much happened this time around, and I think I've managed to normalize my own pace after building the world so much last chapter. And I have lots of ideas for this story! I'm not really good at following plans, though ehe, but as long as it's enjoyable.
> 
> I couldn't really bring myself to vividly paint the last part of the chapter. It's not at all heartwarming to realize that the scene I was writing could very well be a common occurrence to many. :( 
> 
> Stay safe everyone! <3


	3. If Nothing Else

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you again for reading, and for those who show their support! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :>

“Shorter! This is insane, what in the heck are we doing here?”

“Come off it, you know why. Really, Eiji, and you were so determined to protect Yue just a few hours ago. In fact, before I had even said anything, you had oh so bravely declared that you were willing to do ‘whatever it takes to save Yue!’” 

“I-I did not sound like some _girl,_ you idiot! My voice is _not_ that high. Idiot.”

“Honestly, Ei-chan, I wonder if Sing has rubbed off on you and you’re suddenly unable to hear your own voice as well. You’re a lot cuter than Sing, though, and a lot less loud.”

“Of course I am. Sing’s a little devil.”

Shorter cackled. “Where do you think he got that from?”

“Not me. I assure you, if you look at me from a specific angle during the golden hour, you can practically see an angelic glow pulsing from my skin and a halo forming around my head.”  
  
Shorter stuffed his purple hair in a black beanie as he scoffed. “I know you were the one who ate from Yue’s ice cream tub. What a criminal thing to do for an angel, don’tcha think?”

“Firstly, you have no proof, which is why Yue has decided to officially pin the blame on Sing, despite his indignant squawking. Secondly, if it were _hypothetically_ me who ate a significant portion from Yue’s greedily huge tub, then as an angel I was in every right to do so. I needed to bring justice to Yue and his avaricious, unsharing ways.”

“If you say so.” Eiji rolled his eyes as he put on his own black clothes, his trepidation melting away after seeing Shorter acting like his usual self again. But having a plan tended to put Shorter at ease. He was a guy of action, one who felt better by doing all he could to resolve a problem. 

Eiji was a little different. 

“Yo, Eiji, Shorter,” Sing called. Eiji brightened at hearing the familiar voice, spinning to face the most vertically challenged at Chang Dai Orphanage. (Sing had angrily protested at this fact, however, Skip was an undeniably healthy, growing boy who was sooner or later going to catch up to Sing.) The last part of Shorter and Eiji’s conversation floated in his mind, and Eiji felt a rush of gladness at the fact that Sing hadn’t arrived earlier. Sing would definitely take revenge on him for using him as a scapegoat. 

“That’s Gege to you, Didi.” Shorter snipped teasingly. At Sing’s disgruntled glare, Shorter sniggered, “Oh, sorry, d'ya wanna be called ‘pipsqueak’ instead?”

Eiji felt even more relaxed with Sing around, despite the shorter boy’s face flushing a muted scarlet. “G-get outta here, Shorter.” Eiji withheld a sigh. Well, Sing was a wizard in the casino, not exactly in battles of wit. The poor boy couldn't even last a minute under Yue's silver tongue and his almost completely unrelated insults, that Yue only got away with because of his snarky tone. Shorter’s smirk grew, probably having come to the same conclusion as Eiji, so he hurriedly took action, wanting to speed things up and get the heck out of the fancy-looking street as soon as possible. 

“Is Charlie back at Chang Dai with Yue and Skip?”

“Yeah, and Jenkins came, too. But once I had the time to think about it, I figured that the likelihood of this Lee Hua Lung guy finding about Yue is less than ten percent.” Sing paused. “Although, the fact that we’re talking about it in the middle of the street a few meters away from his mansion, has now raked it up to sixteen point seven.”

Eiji and Shorter, far too used to Sing’s crazy calculations to offer more than a blink of half-incredulity, half-admiration, finished strapping themselves up. Shorter was checking out his gun, so Eiji took it upon himself to toss Sing some clothes and a spare 9mm semi-automatic. Hopefully, they didn't have to use any of their weapons.

Eiji himself couldn’t aim if his life depended on it, and therefore, was really terrible at shooting guns. Terrible at fighting in general, really, but he could at least defend himself if the need arose. After all, he had the incredibly protective slash secretly paranoid Shorter Wong drill some self-defense lessons into him. But then again, he was _very_ selective in the lessons that Shorter taught him, succeeding in some and failing horribly in others. Eiji still shuddered at the memory of Skip rendering him defenseless in under ten seconds.

When Shorter had finished explaining things to Nadia and the rest of Chang Dai, Eiji had opened his mouth to volunteer staying with Yut-Lung, knowing for a fact that he could serve as a liability on the field. However, before he could even get a word out, Shorter had caught his gaze and with utmost seriousness said, “Eiji, we need you on the team with me and Sing.”

Eiji gripped his last dagger before inserting it in its holster on his thigh. He had three other knives with him, one on his other leg’s shin, the other strapped to his left arm, and another hidden in his boot. 

No, he wasn’t like Yue, who could probably slash at a man’s skin and rupture some vital arteries with deadly precision. But it was the one weapon that he liked and grudgingly liked him in return, because knives were silent.

“Are y'all ready?” Shorter gruffed as he closed the back of the car. Eiji mentally went through the plan in his head, and gave him a thumbs up in response.

“I’ll take the very rear. Eiji, stay close to Shorter, but take the front.” Sing led, tying his many eccentric weapons and tools to his belt. An air of seriousness fell upon the three, coming to the non-verbal understanding that they couldn’t afford to fail. There was a great risk in breaking in, but they were in greater danger if they left it alone. 

And there wasn’t much that they wouldn’t do for anyone in Chang Dai.

_“What’s in Lee Mansion?”_

_“Mainly, we’re lookin’ for a map. My men got a good look at it when the dude poked his face out of the hotel. By the looks of it, it’s a master map where they got all their important locations marked.”_

_“‘Mainly’, you say? What else are we looking for?” Skip asked, eyes keen and alert._

_“His computer, his files, all kinds of info on Yue, and all the dirt that we could get on him. We’re looking for anything that can be like our trump card against him.”_

_“And what if there’s none?”_ _  
_

_“If there’s none, we get the hell outta there with more intel on the dude and on Yue, and we do our damn best to make it look like we were never there.”_

_“When do we do it?”_ _  
_

_“Tonight.”_

_“Eh, tonight? That’s crazy, Shorter, we aren’t the least bit prepared! Sing, are you hearing this right now?”_

_“Actually, I agree. He’s not likely to go back to his mansion tonight, especially if he’s booked in a hotel.”_

_“And what if he_ is _there? You said that this guy is one of the most dangerous men in America, he will have a lot of security, right? If he is actually there, then we will be dead meat!” His Japanese accent was slipping through in his worry._

_“That’s why we need you to be there.”_

Sing had worked out that the best possible way for them to sneak inside the mansion was through the back. The Lee brother had a couple of neighbors, and a rich guy had an estate directly behind his. It was easy enough to get through the gate and run across the poor fellow’s land after Sing had scouted the area and made sure there were no cameras. 

After sneaking quietly to the brick wall that separated the Lees’ estate from their neighbors’, Shorter had thrown Sing’s homemade grappling hook over the wall. The three took turns in climbing over with the help of the spliced rope, and landed softly on the other side. 

Sing inhaled sharply, and Eiji followed his gaze and spotted a man on guard, bringing a hand up to his ear and murmuring. Ah. He had an earpiece in, which posed a great risk. They couldn’t afford to alert the suited man to their presence.

Eiji wasn’t a born fighter, but he wasn’t an idiot, either. Even with all of his insecurities and self-deprecating comments, he knew that Shorter and Sing were banking on him and what he could bring to the table. 

Skip had said that he was “gifted”, and Eiji was about to scoff and retort that such a small talent couldn’t ever possibly amount to anything, but he remembered his photographs, and the feeling of a pole in his hands. 

He remembered the relief on everyone’s faces when he showed up at just the right moment. 

“Three.”

And just like all the other times he had known when to sneak off to the kitchens to steal Yue’s ice cream...

“Two.”

… and just like all the other times he had waited patiently for Nadia to be in a better mood… 

“One.”

… he knew exactly when it was the best time to take action. He saw the telltale signs that showed when the guard was the least attentive, saw him blinking in slow motion, and he waited with wide, focused eyes for the slouching of his posture and the pivot of his heel.

“Run!”

After all, as a photographer who waited patiently and who didn’t hold back in seizing the opportune moment, and as a pole vaulter who knew exactly when to turn, when to squeeze, when to let go… 

Even Eiji couldn’t deny that when it came down to it, his timing was impeccable.

Thanks to Sing’s brain, Shorter’s skill and Eiji’s eyes, they just might be able to survive breaking in the Lee Mansion. 

Eiji brought out a hand, hearing the whir of a security camera rotating. He saw them at once, two cameras positioned over the door. Eiji looked back at the other two, one hand repeatedly slashing at his neck. _Not door._

Skip got one of his tools out, approaching a window while Eiji designated himself to lookout duty. The guard with the earpiece was heading towards the guardhouse, perhaps switching with another one? Eiji kept his eyes and ears open, trying to detect anything that could hinder them from getting inside. His heartbeat was all the way up, but no, Eiji had to make sure that Sing had enough time. 

He heard the sound of the window cracking open, just as the earpiece guy stepped inside the guardhouse. Shorter grabbed his hand, and they were moving.

And as they hurriedly slipped in the dark manor, undetected and panting, hope burst into Eiji’s chest and Shorter silently threw a punch at the air in victory. 

They ducked into a corner of the room and waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. They listened for any kind of movement, and after Shorter signaled the okay after checking for cameras, Eiji and Sing exhaled quietly. “Building three stories tall, biggest window top middle, probably important room,” Sing muttered lowly. 

“Office,” Shorter nodded, barely making a noise. “Someone from gang knows.”

Eiji felt something pull at his gut, and he chose to follow it. “Go!” he hissed. _Thank rich people for buying expensive crap,_ Eiji thought, noticing that their footsteps were being swallowed by the carpet. Eiji, as per Sing’s instructions, took the lead and paused at the top of the staircase, blinking and trying to make something out in the darkness. _Ah,_ Eiji thought, as he started to see the faint outlines of a few portraits and decorative plants. _There we go._

He tapped Shorter to follow, who tapped Sing, and they went up the other staircase. “Right,” directed Sing, and Eiji followed until Shorter pressed a hand against his back, signaling him to stop. Shorter pressed an ear against the door, and upon hearing no sound from the other side, cautiously twisted the doorknob open. After they slipped into the room, they brought out their own flashlights. 

Without another verbal order, the three set to work. Sing automatically went for the shelves, Shorter booted up the computer and Eiji shut the curtains before hurrying to the drawers. He caught his breath as he stumbled upon a folded picture deep within the drawer, a picture of seven brothers and an old, wizened man. He recognized Yue’s silky black hair and piercing gaze in one of the younger-looking boys. He took a picture, before putting it back exactly where he found it. 

He scrambled for another wooden table with a desk lamp innocently perched on top, and almost cried out in relief when he saw what appeared to be the map that Shorter mentioned. He took several pictures, before opening the drawer beneath the table’s surface.

His gloved hands shut the drawer inaudibly, finding nothing else of interest. He moved to stand guard and waited for Sing and Shorter to finish. Shorter had plugged in a flash drive and was typing away with a calm focus while Sing was furiously skimming through folders, eyes wild but movements hushed. Whenever Sing found something of interest, he either took a picture or began mouthing rapidly, memorizing the information. Shorter finished typing, gripping the edge of his seat tightly, staring unblinkingly at the screen and waiting for the data to finish copying. 

Sing finished, and Shorter quickly followed after, hurriedly plucking the flash drive from the computer and shutting it down. 

The three waited for Eiji’s signal, before slithering out of the room. Eiji felt Shorter shaking a little with giddiness and had to bite back a laugh when Sing poked him, incensed. They were descending the third floor staircase when Eiji’s body reacted faster than his mind, whipping out his hand to motion the other two to stop. 

They froze, and suddenly, they all could hear it. It was the pained wheezing of someone hurt, and the panting of someone who had a hard time breathing or moving. By the sound of it, he was probably on the second floor staircase. He looked back to see Shorter and Sing perfectly still, with their eyes fixed on him. _Your call,_ they seemed to be saying, their trusting gaze on him and on him only. 

Eiji was just about to motion for them to hide, before they all heard the sound of a body hitting the carpeted floor.

* * *

Skip was on edge. Charlie and Jenkins were talking downstairs with Nadia, and Yut-Lung wasn’t looking too good. The younger boy gulped. He was rarely alone with the long-haired boy, and it wasn’t really uncomfortable, but Skip was getting a little restless.

It was past two in the morning. Skip wanted to cry from the pressure, but Sing had told him to wait.

_“Our estimated time of arrival is two-thirty, that is, if we don’t run into any complications. Your job is to be on watch for anyone fishy in the streets, and to protect Yue.”_

_“What if you don’t get back by two-thirty?”_

_“Have a little faith in us, yeah? But if we aren’t back by four in the morning… tell Charlie and Jenkins to look for us.”_

_“And… and what if someone hurts Yue?”_

_“I don’t think anyone could get away with hurting Yue when you’re around.”_

Skip didn’t feel too good. 

“You look like you are going to burst into tears, Skip.” Yut-Lung clicked his tongue. “What is the matter?” Skip could tell that even Yut-Lung was getting anxious, even though the older boy tried to hide it. Yut-Lung was a lot snippier when he had something on his mind. 

“I’m worried for them,” Skip bit his lip from where he was sitting on his bed.

“I wouldn’t worry about them. They are skilled people.” Skip knew he was lying. Skip could also tell that he was trying his best to comfort him, but then again, Skip wasn’t only thinking about the other three. 

“But I’m also worried about you.”

Yue seemed genuinely surprised, his lips parting and his eyebrows delicately raising as he looked at Skip from where he was staring outside the window. Skip took a good look at Yue’s face, and noticed the dark rings under his upturned eyes, the dryness of his lips. Skip stood and walked to the table Yue was gracefully poised on, and casually sat on the chair. 

Yue raised a hand, uncertain with how to respond to Skip getting close, and after a few seconds of the younger boy watchfully eyeing the streets as Sing told him to, the Asian boy finally settled on placing a pale hand on his short, spring hair. Skip didn’t move for a bit, not really understanding but knowing that this was an important moment for the older boy. He released a breath he didn’t know he was holding when after a few moments of being stationary, Yut-Lung’s hand started raking through his messy locks. 

Yut-Lung made a disapproving sound at the back of his throat. “Your hair is a mess, Skip. Do you even brush it after you shower?” Skip rolled his eyes, placing his cheek on Yue’s outstretched leg. 

“Not everyone can have pretty hair, Yue.”

“I suppose that is true, although I think what you really meant to say was, ‘Not everyone can be as pretty as you, Yue. You are absolutely gorgeous!’” 

Skip blew a raspberry on Yut-Lung’s thigh, giggling as he yelped in surprise. Ignoring the glare sent his way, he dragged his eyes back to the street. 

He was feeling kind of sleepy.

Yut-Lung resumed running his hand through his hair. “You may sleep if you want to.”

“Sing told me to watch over you.”

“I’ll wake you up when I feel like I’m in danger. For now, just sleep.”

* * *

Ash woke to the sound of hushed arguing. 

“Eiji, what the _fuck_ are you doing?”

“Idiot, this could very well be a trap. No, don’t you dare—”

“Shh! You’re going to wake the whole mansion!” 

“Excuse me, _we’re_ gonna wake the mansion? The fuck you pullin’? You’re one to talk, you’re about to wake this random dude up—”

“—are you shitting me, he’s dressed like he’s gonna pull up in daddy’s limo and strut like some fun-sized CEO—”

“Oh, wow, that was oddly specific. Sing, hold my camera. If you accidentally break it, I’ll accidentally break you.”

“Eiji, hate to break it to you, but if you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, your camera’s the least of our problems. Stop trying to give us cardiac arrest with your saintly, bleeding heart!”

“Huh? I’m not the one bleeding here.”

“Y-you, it’s a damn figure of speech! Argh! What if he works for the Lees, what if he rats us out?”

“He doesn’t look like he’s in a position to do so. Besides, do you honestly wanna leave him behind? He looks about our age.”

“Ei-chan, you’re gonna be the fucking death of me. Sing, search him.”

“I’m on it.”

Ash felt small hands prod at his sides, and while his throat was too painful for him to make a sound of pain, his body twitched away from the invasive fingers. A pause, before the hands returned, more gentle this time. He tried to squirm away, tried to open his eyes and tell the voices to fuck off, but he was too weak. His head hurt like a bitch, and all he wanted to do was sleep. 

“Fuck, guys. I think… well, I’m not sure but judging from the evidence, the clothes, the product on his hair and the—”

“Just say it, man!” 

“I think he got raped by Lee Hua Lung.”

Silence followed, and Ash was about to drift off before his mind was jolted awake by their voices. _Damn, my head and my ass hurts so much,_ Ash moaned in his head, feeling sticky and sore and full of loathing. He curled up, wanting to tell the motherfuckers to shut up and let him pass out for the guards to find. 

“Shit, what the fuck do we do—”

“—if he was really raped, we can’t just leave him here—”

“Fuck, _fuck,_ son of a bitch, he’s losing consciousness—”

“—with this information, the probability of him being dangerous has just dropped to 4.34333333 percent—”

“D’ya think he has a concussion?”

“Who the hell do you think I am, _Yue?_ ”

“Guys, be quiet!”

 _Thank God!_ Ash exasperatedly yelled in his head, all the tension in his body leaving him as his brain came to the conclusion that the arguing voices would leave him to sleep peacefully on the floor. Well, Ash had to give it to Lee, because despite him being a violent bastard, he knew his carpets. It was really soft, comfy and Ash felt it slipping under his back and knees and pulling him into a gentle warmth. Huh, suddenly, the carpet was breathing. He jerked when he felt the unfamiliar sensation of being lifted into the air.

“Eiji, what are you—woah, damn, Eiji, _ay papi_ —”

“Yo, shit, Eiji, I think my heart skipped a beat right there, you look about ten times hotter, where the hell did you get the muscles for that? I think I’m in love—”

“Who knew little Prince Eiji was such a catch? Aren’t you jealous, Sing? I mean, Eiji stopped carrying _you_ at seven years old, and was saying something about you getting a bit heavy?”

“Fuck off, Shorter. You’re just jealous ‘cuz Eiji’s smaller but can carry a guy who’s probably a head taller than him. Or ‘cuz Eiji definitely pulls the prince part off better.”

“Pfft, all the ladies love me, Sing, I’m practically a magnet for—”

“Sing, can you wrap his arms around my neck? We can’t have him falling off.”

 _No, drop me,_ Ash protested in his head. _Leave me, the fuck you doing?_ Ash’s half-hearted complaining abruptly ceased when his arms were pulled to encircle even more warmth, and Ash didn’t know it was possible, but somehow this position was even more comfortable and pleasing than the carpet he had been praising earlier.

“Our beloved Ei-chan, I doubt that will stop him, or anyone else for that matter, from falling…”

“... falling for you….” A couple of snickering came from the decidedly male voices.

“S-shut up, you guys! Let’s just get out of here!”

“Yes, Prince Eiji.”

Ash’s head lolled to the side, and he managed to crack his eye open and see the blurry figure of the girl he saw earlier that night, the one in a maid uniform. He brought his index finger to his lips, threw her what he hoped was an angelic, pleading look to remain quiet, before tucking his head back into the warm shoulder and registering the rapid thrumming of a heartbeat. 

With a quick inhale flooding his lungs with the scent of soup, steamed rice and wood, Ash passed out. 

* * *

As she was pushed roughly into the guardhouse, her feet got twisted in the frills of her long skirt. She fell to the hard floor with a cry.

“What do you mean you helped him escape?” the guard snarled, grabbing her apron and bringing her face closer to his. She was trembling against his hold, fear seizing her throat and clogging the words from coming out of her mouth. She was thrown again, landing on the back of a wooden chair and landing sprawled on the floor. “If you don’t speak, girl, I will make your situation a lot more painful than it needs to be.”

She choked as bile rose in her throat, and spat out blood. The guard stared at her with cold eyes, approaching her and stepping on her wrist. He applied pressure. “Where. Did. He. Go?” He lifted his foot a few centimeters and then slammed his heel into her wrist, breaking it. She wailed. Even through the waves of pain that assaulted her every bone, she could still manage to think of her next lie. She was a good actor if nothing else.

“I-I don’t know! I j-just, I just carried him to the front door!” But it wasn’t hard to act, not when the hurt was incomparable to anything else she had ever felt in her life, not when her tears were real tears of pain, her nerves alive with the feeling of _pain, pain, pain._ “He d-d-disappeared when I came back from getting him a glass of water!”

“Idiotic, good for nothing bitch,” the guard whispered lowly, and the backhand that followed was expected but not in the least less excruciating. _At least one of us gets a chance to break free,_ the thought bittersweet in her head, as she watched him bring out his gun and cock it.

Even if her life had turned out to be quite pathetic, even if the fate that awaited the girl was punishment for her stupidity, he decided to show mercy. Knowing his boss, the girl would be carted off to an impecunious, destitute brothel, gifted as a pet.

He was once a man of virtue, if nothing else. He shot her in the head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh :< Poor girl, I thought of Ash's fourteen-year-old crush when I wrote it. I didn't even want to kill her off at first, and I even wanted Lee Hua Lung and Golzine hot on their tail, knowing that someone else got Ash and some info, but... I dunno, it just seemed fitting, I guess. Sigh. 
> 
> I also need to think a bit HAHAHA I didn't plan to get this far, and I've already deviated a lot from my main plan. Chaotic writer, indeed. I didn't expect it to be this difficult, and at times disheartening, and I've only posted the third chapter oop :< But it's still a lot of fun! I hope I turn this into something interesting, raw and fun to read.
> 
> Until next time! Stay safe, everyone! Please leave feedback if you have the time and if you like ^_^


	4. When the Panic Sets In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I think I've managed to settle on a schedule between updates, and with that said, I hope you all look forward to next week's chapter! :>
> 
> It'll be a few more chapters 'till conflict takes over Chang Dai! But for now, things will calm down a bit and I did take my time in forming the characters a bit more. I hope you do enjoy this chapter!

There were many things happening at that moment, many signals from Sing’s frazzled brain that were willing his body to move, many calculations running in his head, on top of the seemingly infinite alternate universes that he was attempting to create in order to predict as many possible outcomes as he could.

In short, Sing was panicking. 

At least, he thought he was panicking. To Eiji and Shorter, the tiny boy was just annoying. 

Because while Sing was usually staring down at his opponent with his smug cherub face that held zero traces of puberty (the skin which was the bane of Yut-Lung’s existence, the main object of the pretty boy’s envy), in the rare moments that he didn’t have the upper hand, he  _ talked. _

“I still find it hard to believe that all the information was just sitting there, all gathered in the same room, up and ready for the taking, but then again it’s actually quite common for people to put all work-related things into one room, although I suppose that’s rather obvious. Those are what home offices are for, but hey, whoever invented the idea of offices had just made it a whole lot easier for us to find all that we needed. But then again, shouldn’t that shit be more well protected or something? How was Shorter able to hack into the system so easily, and what if, what if he had superhuman senses and could spot the very minuscule differences, like what if Eiji put the map back in a slightly different angle—”

“Sing.”

“— _ woo,  _ we’ve been running, ah, I’m feeling a little tired. Eiji, Eiji, are you feeling tired? You must be, from carrying that dude around. Even though the odds of him being dangerous are still quite low, the safest and most logical decision would be to patch him up then toss him somewhere far, far away from us—”

“Sing. Sing, shut the fuck up.”

“Are you not processing that we just broke into Lee Mansion?” Sing screamed, confident that the chances of him being heard in this obscure, dumpster-filled pathway back to the orphanage were practically zero. Well, a little over eleven percent, but rounded off, it was as good as a zero. Sing ignored the sudden memory of him a few hours earlier, hammering at the calculator and jotting down his solutions and his answers in at least fifteen significant figures, chanting “every digit counts” in his head. 

And Eiji still had the nerve to look pretty hot while carrying the unconscious boy like some novel’s heartthrob protagonist, a thin layer of sweat only making his face  _ glisten,  _ cutely panting with the effort and… Sing paused. Shorter had a point. If Sing was acting and most probably looking like a dying gorilla while Eiji’s attractiveness was directly proportionate to the number of his sweat drops, then Sing had definitely been pouring all of his energy into talking instead of getting away.

Not that Sing cared about anything Shorter had to say. 

“Shorter, why the hell aren’t you carrying the guy? At least take turns with Eiji, you’re bigger than him.”   


“Hey, I tried but I’m telling ya man, the guy’s stuck to Eiji like some chewing gum on a shoe. He won’t let go, even in his sleep.”

Sing wrinkled his nose at the mental image, ignoring the stitches in his stomach. “Ew. Did, hah, you really have to put it like that?”

Shorter didn’t reply, slowing his pace to jog beside Eiji. Eiji tried to pass the blonde dude into Shorter’s awkwardly held out arms, but the blonde only murmured something before locking his arms around Eiji’s neck even tighter, burying his face into his neck. 

“I,” gasped Eiji. “I am afraid that he might accidentally drink my sweat.”

“Eiji, once again, that is the least of your problems.” Shorter deadpanned, his great athletic ability allowing his voice to remain steady. What a showoff. The dark-skinned boy sped up and took the lead again, dashing into another alleyway. Sing and Eiji who lagged a little behind shared a look of suffering, before turning around the corner too.

_ Thank whatever deity is out there laughing at our sorry asses!  _ Sing almost shouted in relief when he saw beautiful asphalt and streetlamps at the end of the new alley. He felt like he had just run through an hour’s worth of the same dingy and dark backstreet. 

“While I’d love to apologize for asking the gang to drive the car a nice distance away from the mansion,” Shorter started as they exited the alleyway, and was welcomed with their old black car parked innocently on the curb. “I’m pretty sure you guys would rather be running than dead.”

“Suck it, Shorter,” wheezed Sing as he threw himself in the passenger seat. Eiji groaned in exhaustion as he shut the car door, sliding down the backseat and throwing his head back. Blondie was now sitting on Eiji’s lap. Now that they weren’t sprinting down the streets or in the dark, Sing could really see just how bad the other guy was roughed up. Shorter sucked in a breath before stepping on the gas, probably having seen the guy’s horrible state through the mirror.

As the three continued to simply sit and process all that had happened, gasping for air and wiping sweat with their sleeves, the ridiculousness of their situation finally caught up to them. It was Eiji who first giggled, and then Shorter let out a roar of boisterous, triumphant laughter. Sing sighed, a satisfied smirk in place as he looked out the window, his hand loosening around his gun. 

They were absolutely crazy for pulling that shit, but it was worth it. Yue was worth it. 

* * *

It was now Eiji’s turn to panic. 

But unlike Sing who talked up a storm in his panic, Eiji instinctively tried to keep a lid on any physical or noticeable tic.

He was really, really concerned for the blonde boy that they had rescued. Eiji held the boy’s hands in his own and gently peeled them away from his neck. He shifted closer to the car door and pulled down the other’s head to rest on his lap, allowing the taller boy to stretch his legs as much as he could.

They were a thirty-minute ride away from Chang Dai, where Yue and Nadia could properly take care of his wounds. But Eiji wasn’t sure if the other boy could wait that long. His brow was furrowed, his arms were trembling, and a thin layer of sweat covered his body despite not running with them. His wounds didn’t look too threatening, but it looked like it would hurt like hell for weeks, and judging by his ragged breathing, with a budding fever to boot. He brought out the tinier knife in his shoe and slashed away a strip of black cotton from his shirt.

“Sing, what do we have there that could help?”    
  
“Er, not much. But I think he’ll survive with these.” Sing tossed him a small pack of tissues and a medical kit the size of Eiji’s hand, which he caught flawlessly. Eiji got to work, deftly disinfecting the biggest open wound, a cut around his arm. It didn’t look much like a clean cut, probably accidental? Definitely from something glasslike. Eiji wrapped the cloth around his arm after, before disinfecting the small, shallow cuts around his face and his arms.

“I… I think that there would be more bruises around his legs and torso,” Sing quietly added. Eiji checked under his shirt, and sure enough, the pale skin underneath was mostly an angry mix of puce and purple. Eiji got out some ointment and with the lightest touch that he could manage, rubbed gently at the bruised skin. The boy flinched when Eiji grazed him, but didn’t react further. 

Patching the boy up reminded him of the time when Shorter and Sing got into a fight in one of the local bars.

_ The only reason why Eiji had caught them was because he had forced himself to stay awake. Long after Yue and Skip had fallen asleep, he had attempted to keep himself awake by rereading some of Yue and Skip’s textbooks for their public school. He was their designated tutor after all.  _

_ Well, Yut-Lung had first claimed that he didn’t need “a tutor of all things if I could get exemplary scores all on my own”, but after a few sessions of being in the same room with Sing excitedly answering Eiji’s questions and listening to him explain with rapt attention, Yut-Lung grudgingly approached Eiji and demanded to be tutored too. He also demanded cookies. _

_ After almost falling asleep while reading the same paragraph for the fifth time, Eiji jerked awake when he heard the sound of a door opening then closing. He was half-conscious and a little bit irritated at the two for worrying Nadia so much, but his concern won over. Eiji carefully tiptoed out of the room, pausing at the top of the staircase to eavesdrop.  _

_ The other two boys were talking in low voices, not daring to turn on the light and wake Nadia.  _

_ “Shorter… it kinda hurts…” _

_ “Of course it hurts, you tried to sock a dude’s stomach, and you chose a guy with an obvious six-pack no less! He was wearing a muscle tee, and had arms the size of Superman’s! Aren’tcha supposed to be smart?” _

_ “I panicked, okay? I didn’t know the guy would be  _ that  _ mad over losing.” _

_ “Seriously, Sing? Idiots don’t like to be told they’re idiots. You should know that by now.” _

_ “I… I-I, well… yeah, well, it takes one to know one!” A sigh.  _

_ “Your brain can only understand numbers, I suppose. Anyway, we’re  _ both  _ roughened up. I’m pretty sure this cut on my face is gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow, and look like one too. Can your big brain think of a way to explain this to Nadia and Eiji?” _

_ Eiji didn’t need a gut feeling to tell him it was his turn to swoop in. He descended down the stairs audibly, making his presence known.  _

_ “I think your conversation has explained to me plenty, thanks.” _

_ Eiji switched on the lights to reveal the two idiots who were frozen in place. Sing’s hand was holding the refrigerator handle, his face guilty and his hair mussed up, while Shorter was crouching low and trying to blend in the dark, cowardly trying to hide his bulking figure behind Sing’s tiny body. _

_ The fool had a purple mohawk for God’s sake.  _

_ Eiji sighed, approaching the two clowns and ignoring Shorter’s fearful squawk. “Sit,” he gestured to the two of them. The two meekly obeyed, Sing looking a little petulant and Shorter staring at him with such honest to God terror that Eiji had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “Tell me where it hurts.” _

_ “It hurts here,” Sing confessed honestly, thrusting his hand into Eiji’s face.  _ Looks pretty nasty,  _ Eiji thought as he observed his red knuckles and the awkward way one of his fingers was bending.  _

_ “Hey! You’re not supposed to tell him that!” _

_ “But it really hurts!” _

_ Eiji pinched the bridge of his nose, already on his way to get some ice, medical tape and ointment. He wondered if he could get away with stealing one of Skip’s popsicle sticks from his arts and crafts kit. “How about you, Shorter?” _

_ “... It doesn’t hurt anywhere.” _

_ What an absolute child.  _

_ “If you don’t tell me in three counts, I will tell Nadia. Three _ —”

_ “No, no! Don’t tell her! Nrgh, fine!” Wow, even Eiji didn’t expect Shorter to break so soon. “My face and my shoulders hurt.” Shorter crossed his arms.  _

_ “He’s lying. His hand also hurts like mine.” _

_ “What the fuck, Sing?” _

_ “He would’ve found out anyway. I would’ve picked to lie about the shoulders, the probability of him finding out about shoulder pain is significantly lower than him getting a peak at your hand.” _

_ “Motherfucker. Let’s see  _ ya  _ deal with an all out brawl like that without me saving your sorry ass.” _

_ Eiji was getting even more tired and exasperated with each insult the two threw at each other, but it seemed that they weren’t in any serious danger. He had been a little worried. _

_ Although, they were still quite brainless. As they continued to bicker, Eiji collected some ice from the tray and began wetting a towel.  _

After an arduous period of fifteen minutes, Eiji had finished checking over what he could. Now that he could think about it properly, he wasn’t exactly sure what possessed him to run recklessly towards the sound of the boy crumbling to the floor. He didn’t know what caused him to scoop him up and hold tight while the three ran and ran without looking back. He most certainly didn’t know why he had pushed Shorter and Sing to take him with them. 

Eiji pushed his fringe away from his face, noticing that he and Shorter had the same rugged look, what with their edgy features. Although, Eiji noticed, the blond had a thinner face, and looked a little more delicate and aristocratic in contrast to Shorter’s boyish appearance. His face was obviously young, but the contours of his face were far more defined than Eiji’s.

It probably wasn’t saying much, though, since Eiji had quite the babyface. Some of their regular customers had mistaken him to be about Yue or Sing’s age more than once. 

So… if Eiji were to guess the blonde’s age, he’d say a year younger than him. Maybe a year older? 

“Is he good?” Shorter asked, an elbow resting nonchalantly on the back of his seat while he drove single-handedly.

“Yeah. He’ll still need some proper fixing up, though.”

“Great. Man, I’m hella beat,” Shorter turned smoothly to the right. Eiji recognized the street immediately; they were almost there. 

“I don’t feel that tired yet, actually, but I got a feeling that I’ll pass out once I see my bed.” Sing slouched further into his seat.

“Well, we’ve been at it the whole day. You think Yue and Skip stayed up to wait?”

“Yeah, Yue’s a total worrywart. Skip might wanna stay awake to keep an eye on the streets too.”

“Fuck, we still gotta look through everything. Dear God, I really hope we didn’t leave any evidence whatsoever. You think they can trace this dude back to us?”

“I mean… he was hit and, erm, raped, and he was just walking down by himself. They probably don’t care about him much?”

“I can’t believe I felt relief at hearing about no one looking out for this dude.” Shorter couldn't blame him. They didn't want anyone hot on their trail for trying to help a stranger out.

As Shorter pulled up to a stop in front of the main building’s doors, Eiji slid his aching arms under the blonde’s knees and upper back again. “Hang in there,” he muttered. As Eiji took in the sight of Chang Dai, he was filled with a sense of safety. He hoped dearly that Chang Dai would continue to give him that feeling, and tried to ignore the little voice in his head that told him that nothing was built to last. 

The voice sounded strangely like Sing.

* * *

Yut-Lung almost cried in relief when Skip had perked up, exclaiming that he had seen headlights through the open window. He would deny it vehemently if asked, but he and Skip both jumped from their positions and raced down the staircase, eager to see how the other three were.

Eiji came in first, hair dishevelled and rubbing his arms sorely, but otherwise uninjured. Yut-Lung threw his arms around the slightly taller boy, all logic leaving his brain and not caring at all because this was  _ Eiji,  _ Eiji who cooked him carrot soup and baked him cookies, Eiji who spent a total of twenty minutes each day helping Yut-Lung brush through his hair, Eiji who had suffered so much and forced himself to break through his own nightmare in order to pull Yut-Lung from his own…

A single tear fell down his face as all his worry and guilt crashed against him like a huge tidal wave. Eiji’s arms had found their way around Yue and were squeezing him firmly. Eiji smelled a lot like sweat and blood.

He did a double-take. Blood?

When Yut-Lung pulled away, he found Sing and Shorter entering the doorway. Thrown over Shorter’s broad shoulder was a boy wearing expensive yet bloody and wrinkled clothes.

He didn't really understand at first, but he could take a few guesses at what had transpired. “You bitches are such idiots,” muttered Yut-Lung. Sing gave him a wide grin before he opened his arms and tried to tackle him, aiming for his middle. 

Okay, no, he had already used up about two days' worth of affection on Eiji. He casually side-stepped Sing and ignored his affronted “Hey!”, before gliding to Shorter. The purple-haired teen set the unnamed boy down on their couch. 

Nadia, Charlie and Jenkins hurried to the living room at the sound of the door closing. Nadia startled at the sight of the unconscious boy on the sofa. “Who is that?”

“No idea,” Shorter answered his sister, taking off the boy’s waistcoat and unbuttoning his shirt. “Yue, do you think you can patch him up?” 

Yut-Lung wanted to ask questions regarding the boy, but Nadia had already hurried towards the kitchen in search of supplies. The petite Asian also noticed the shine of balm on his bruises, a few temporary fixes like small bandages, and the black cloth around his arm.  _ Eiji?  _ his mind concluded, eyes snapping to Eiji’s exhausted form on the table. A part of his long-sleeved shirt was torn. 

Yut-Lung was willing to bet his entire perfume collection that it was Eiji who decided to bring this posh kid into Chang Dai with them.

“What happened to him?” Skip questioned with wide eyes, saving Yut-Lung the trouble of asking.

Sing’s face darkened. “After we got all the information from his office, we found Blondie here, collapsed on the second floor. He was most likely raped and beaten by Lee Hua Lung.”

Yut-Lung’s blood ran cold. That scenario was far too familiar. First, they were looking for him, now, they terrorize others, reminding Yut-Lung of how he was just the first victim, the child that gave them the confidence to wreak havoc into the world. 

The child that empowered them through his suffering and begging. 

Nadia swept into the scene just as Charlie led Shorter, Eiji and Sing to the dining room. “It seems that Eiji had tried his best to help alleviate the pain,” she commented off-handedly, tipping a pitcher of water into a basin and setting it on the side table. “Yue, could you fix up his arm with a couple of bandages?”

“Of course.” Yut-Lung gingerly removed the black cloth wrapped around his bicep. 

“Skip, could you please get some of Shorter’s clothes? Get some of his bigger ones, for our guest’s comfort.”

“On it!” 

The two worked at a relaxed pace, with Nadia realizing that the boy was burning up a few minutes later. Skip was asked to get some pills from the bathroom cabinet, but had dozed off on a nearby loveseat while watching them tend to the stranger’s injuries. They got him out of his clothes and treated the bruises that Eiji left untouched under his trousers. 

“His external injuries are not in any way dangerous,” Yut-Lung murmured. 

“Yes, with the right treatment, he will be back to normal in a matter of days. However, his collapse could have been an effect of the trauma-inducing experience, rather than exhaustion and illness.” Nadia dipped a white towel in the icy basin of water, squeezing out excess before folding it deftly and methodically. “If that is the case, it would be harder for him to recover.”

That made sense. Theoretically, a person in a healthier state of mind would recover from illness faster.

“What of his fever?"

“Likely to go down as well in a few hours. It’s nothing too high, and is most likely caused by his malnutrition and exhaustion.”

Yut-Lung hummed. “We need to check if he was concussed as well when he wakes. Should we just leave him on the couch?”

Nadia took a few seconds to ponder on his question. “Well, the couch isn’t entirely comfortable, but perhaps a bed would do him some good.”

“He can sleep in my bed.”

Nadia and Yut-Lung turned their heads to see Eiji leaning against the doorway and covering his mouth as he yawned. He looked even more drained than when he first came in. His chest constricted. The idea of people going so far to help him did not sit well with Yut-Lung.

“Alright,” Nadia accepted easily, knowing full well that Eiji wouldn’t take no for an answer. Honestly, his compassionate and hopelessly selfless nature wasn’t doing Eiji any favors. Sing and Shorter, both dead on their feet, stood behind Eiji and were also yawning, with Sing rubbing his eyes sleepily. 

“I’ll carry him,” Shorter volunteered. “Ei-chan, where ya sleeping tonight?”

“Probably… er, couch?” Eiji mumbled. 

“Not on my watch,” Yut-Lung said in a clipped tone. “Nadia, we have a futon, correct?”

“Yes,” Nadia said mildly, a hint of a smile on her face. “Eiji, let’s go and prepare a futon for you in the room.”

“Er, yes. Alright.”

While Shorter made his way to the couch where the unconscious boy lay, Sing had taken it upon himself to carry Skip up the room. While packing away his supplies, Yut-Lung suddenly felt the urge to do something very out of character, and partially shameful.

Yut-Lung reasoned in his head that choosing  _ not  _ to do it would be the more shameful choice, though. Taking a deep breath, he stood and turned to face Shorter and Sing, bowing his head lightly. “Thank you.”

He expected Shorter and Sing to laugh, or to act completely stunned. He was surprised when a heavy hand casually patted him on the shoulder. “Anything for our Yue.” Shorter let loose another big yawn. 

“Mhm hmm,” Sing agreed non-verbally as Shorter scooped the guy up. “Heh, Eiji looked a lot hotter than you.”   
  
“Fuck off, Sing.”

Yut-Lung recovered from his initial surprise, and the smallest hints of a smile played on his lips. The complete, utter buffoons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave feedback if you can and if you like, or a kudos! Thank you to all who have shown their support for my little fic, it really puts me in such a good mood and I'm grateful for it! <3
> 
> It's only the beginning, though, and I'm trying my best to make this fic as plotty as I can while still indulging my love for fun, fluffy, dialogue-heavy scenes. So I hope that you all are ready for the ride (that I still haven't fully planned out yet *cough*) and rest assured that I do love telling a good, entertaining story for you all! :> Please stay safe everyone!


	5. I've Been Wandering Around

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! <3 Thank you to the people who are still following the story! I think my next update will be a lot quicker hihi c: I appreciate all your comments and kudos very much, and your interest in my work has really made me a lot happier :>
> 
> Please enjoy this next chapter!

_It was well past midnight when Eiji descended down the staircase, holding his shoes in one hand and crouching low to avoid detection. Eiji hoped he was as silent as he thought he was, stealthily crossing the floor and clutching his small bundle of belongings to his chest._

It’s so dark, _Eiji thought fearfully in his head, stretching his leg to feel for the wall. His eyes were wide open, his pupils trying to get as much light as they could to make out the shapes in the dimness of the room. He winced as his foot hit the coffee table, the soft noise almost ringing in the silence._

Not here… not here either. A little more forward. _Thump._ There! 

_Eiji felt for the door, sliding the knob easily and releasing the breath that he had been holding. He felt the evening breeze flutter through his hair, quickening his heartbeat and leaving him with a sad longing in his chest. But no, Eiji couldn’t stay here._

_“Gotcha!”_

_Eiji gasped as he felt strong arms wrap around him. He let out a soundless scream—a strange mix of a puff of air and a gurgling sound, as he felt himself being lifted off the air. He kicked his legs in a panic, his things falling to the floor as his hands were pinned to his sides._

_“Eiji, Eiji, calm down, buddy. It’s just me, Shorter.” Shorter. His arms were coiled tightly around Eiji, pulling him inside. Shorter used his foot to shut the door, depositing the struggling dark-haired boy on the sofa. “You gon’ tell me why you look like you’re ‘bout to run away?”_

_Eiji, thoroughly embarrassed at being caught and disheartened from his failure after getting so far, lowered his head to stare at his hands through the darkness. Shorter stood in front of him, crossing his arms, obviously waiting for some sort of verbal or non-verbal response. When none came, he sighed and knelt down, trying to catch Eiji’s eye. “Hey, hey, look at me, kid.”_

I’m older than you, _Eiji wanted to retort, but his voice refused to work even if his lips had mouthed the words._

_“You told Nadia and Charlie that you had nowhere to go.” Eiji finally met Shorter’s gaze. “So why don’t you wanna stay with us?”_

_Eij only hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. He couldn’t stay at Chang Dai, he couldn’t take advantage of their kindness and become an additional burden, he couldn’t bother them with his inability to speak, he couldn’t wake them up with his fitful nights of tossing and turning as he was haunted by his family’s faces again and again in his sleep._

_Even if Nadia cooked delicious food and patted his head a lot. Even if Sing looked up at him with excitement and asked him to play or read to him. Even if Shorter’s hugs were warm and his smiles were kind._

_“I don’t really understand why you’re trying to leave. But I know that you… you don’t really want to!” Shorter stubbornly crossed his arms petulantly with an exaggerated hmph. If Eiji didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought that Shorter was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince Eiji. “And none of us want you to leave too! Nadia will worry, and Sing will probably cry and wonder where you are.”_

_Eiji scoffed, and poked a finger at Shorter’s chest as if to say,_ I don’t believe that. What about you?

 _“I’d look for you, of course!” Shorter sputtered. Eiji’s eyebrows shot up disbelievingly. “I would! That’s why I waited outside, ‘cuz I had a feeling that you were gonna try to do something stupid. And yeah, I was right, you_ were _doing something stupid!” He pointed a chubby, accusing finger at Eiji’s nose, making Eiji a little cross-eyed._

 _Eiji shook his head._ You don’t have to do that. 

_“Don’t look at me like you don’t think I’d actually go and try to find you. You’ve been here for two weeks, and I honestly like having you around!” Shorter insisted, ruffling his black hair with an agitated hand. “And if I’m gonna be even_ more _honest, I don’t like a lot of people. So… so you should be lucky after all! ‘Cuz I like you even if you're being a little idiot right now!”_

_Eiji puffed out his cheeks, his childlike mind still unable to tell when a person was showing sincerity._

_“Fine, I’ll prove it to you. Every time you do something stupid, like try to run away again, I’ll stop you, and when I can’t, I’ll come find you and bring you back here.” Shorter promised. Eiji felt something build in his chest, something he didn’t recognize. “But I’m sleepy, and I know you are too, so for tonight… let’s just go back upstairs together and sleep, if that’s okay. Can we do that, Eiji? Please?” Shorter used the magic word, and maybe it was because Eiji didn’t hear that word too often before coming to Chang Dai, maybe it was because Eiji didn’t actually want to leave in the first place, but he nodded and took Shorter’s hand._

His dreamlike memory, like snow in the first moments of spring, melted in the ground half-forgotten.

And then Eiji woke up to the familiar sound of someone trying to sneak around. 

Cracking one eye open, he observed as the blonde boy struggled to change out of Shorter’s shirt, the tattered waistcoat and button-down spread out on his bed. From his low angle on his futon, he couldn’t really see much, but he could tell that the boy was struggling, wincing every few moments. 

“That must hurt a lot,” Eiji finally spoke after deeming the situation harmless. The boy went rigid, allowing Eiji to push himself away from his futon and sit on his own bed beside him, yawning. “Don’t try to change out of Shorter’s clothes. Since they’re a bit big, they won’t irritate your skin as much as your own clothes that fit you like a glove.”

The boy didn’t speak. Eiji suddenly felt a strong feeling of deja vu, but not quite. Like he was in a similar situation before, but not in the same position. If that made any sense. He continued, “Anyway, Nadia said that we have to check if you’ve got a concussion. Do you feel fine, maybe your head hurts, or there’s a ringing in your ears? Maybe you feel nauseated?”

The boy remained quiet, but Eiji just continued to look at him expectantly. He finally lowered his arms, giving up on changing, and sighed. “It’s _noh-see-eigh-ted,_ not _nah-see-eigh-ted_.”

 _Oh_ , Eiji blinked in surprise, finding the other boy’s voice to be quite pleasant. When his words finally registered, a light laugh escaped him. The first sentence that the boy spoke to him was to correct his horrid pronunciation? With such a silky voice? _Hilarious._ “Well, I’m sorry for not speaking the best English.” he cheerily smiled, feeling more light-hearted and at ease with the boy. “My name is Eiji, Eiji Okumura. Oh! I should probably get Nadia to check on you. I’ll go and wake Shorter up, but don’t be too loud. Yue, Skip and Sing are still asleep.”

Eiji, the poor chaotic mess that he was in the morning, tripped over his feet to shake Shorter awake. “Shorter, Shorter!” he whispered, trying to wake the dark-skinned boy as pleasantly as he could. He mumbled in his sleep, turning over away from Eiji and his light prodding. “No, Shorter! The boy is awake now.”

“Mhm? Sum’in the matter, Ei-chan?” muttered Shorter, yawning. He got up on his elbows, one hand rubbing the corner of his eye.

“Yeah, he’s awake. I’m gonna go get Nadia, keep him some company, okay?”  
  
“Wha’ happenin’? No, wait, Eiji!”

But Eiji had already gone to look for Nadia, with an unshakable feeling of relief. He couldn’t for the life of him remember what he had been dreaming about before the blonde boy’s stirring woke him up. But Eiji let it slide, because dreams weren’t really that important to him.

And he had hidden his unease well back at the room, but he had a feeling that if he hadn’t woken up earlier, the bed beside him would’ve been empty. Eiji couldn’t exactly pin down why that thought left him with a complicated kind of sadness—the irrevocable kind, but he was glad that he had been able to stop the boy from leaving.

It’s a good thing that he had incredible timing, or as Yue would put it, incredible _luck._

* * *

It would make sense for Ash to feel a hint of fear, and a whole lot of unease. After all, he had woken up in a strange place, wearing strange clothes, and he counted five other boys sleeping _with him._ Ash never slept with anyone else in the room, not if he could help it. 

_He tried to forget the times that he had lost consciousness as a kid, but had woken up feeling sore and on the floor of his own room. He tried not to remember the phantom feeling of hands moving him around while he was vulnerably exhausted._

But Ash wasn’t feeling unsettled because of the fact that he had been sleeping in the presence of others. No, he was feeling on edge _because_ he wasn’t feeling uneasy, and while it sounded so very paradoxical when put into words, it really wasn’t. His heart rate should have skyrocketed, he should have been planning escape, and yet… he wasn’t.

An Asian man lay on the floor beside him, a dark tuft of hair peeking from under the covers. Ash guessed that he had given up his own bed for Ash, but he didn’t try to dig deeper than that. He didn’t want to start analyzing his messed up feelings for that particular action at God knows what time in the morning. 

And if he hadn’t immediately pounced on the chance of escape when he had first woken up, well, he had to remedy that fact immediately. 

But the Asian boy woke up, even though Ash was a hundred percent sure that he hadn’t made a single significant noise. Ash learned that he was called “Eiji Okumura”, a Japanese name, Ash surmised, and Ash was also subjected to a bunch of questions about his physical state. 

Ash would’ve normally and cynically chosen to call it an interrogation, but Eiji hadn’t even asked for his own name. 

Which was another warning siren, one which Ash’s steady heartbeat and calm, unfrazzled senses did not immediately pick up on. Ash was getting irritated at his own body’s state of calm, because didn't that mean that they didn’t _have_ to know who he was? Did they already have his name, did they know he was with Golzine?

Were they going to send him back?  
  
“Yo,” gruffed the purple-haired dude that Eiji had called “Shorter”. He had heard that name before, but now that he was trying to remember from where, he couldn’t. Figures. “Did Eiji check if you’ve got a concussion?” 

_Seriously, what’s up with these people and asking if I’ve gotten my fucking head knocked over?_

“I doubt he forgot, though, ‘cuz it’s Eiji we’re talkin’ about,” Shorter swung his legs off of the bed, peering at Ash who was sitting cross-legged on Eiji’s. “Woah, I didn’t notice from yesterday with all the, y’know, runnin’ around and trying our damndest not to get fuckin’ _killed,_ but you look, well, _woah_ , dude. Er, no offense, although I doubt that was something to be taken offense at, but I’d have expected a guy who’d been through hell to look like… y’know they went through hell?” he shrugged nonchalantly, like he hadn’t talked about at least four different things in the two sentences he’d spoken. 

After a moment of silence, Ash realized that the guy called Shorter was waiting for a response. “I guess,” he replied slowly, unsurely, testing out the response he’d chosen and trying to pick out the other guy’s reaction. What the fuck was going on?

“Anyway, I’m Shorter, and before you ask, yeah, that be my real name, my dude.” Shorter waved away something invisible in the air, like he was waving away Ash’s unasked question. Not that Ash was thinking about actually asking it out loud. He flashed him a half-smirk, half-smile kind of thing, and it was at that moment that Ash realized he hadn’t interacted with someone around his age for so damn long. 

If he was gonna be honest, he had absolutely no fucking clue on how to deal with a guy like Shorter, nor Eiji for that matter. 

And Ash figured out why in under a second, his mind growing more alert as he spent more time awake. It’s because he had no idea what they _wanted._ What they had to gain from helping him. Ash simply didn’t know how to act in front of people who had no visible agenda. He had no clear frame of reference, he didn’t know anything about Shorter other than the fact that he had been there at Lee Hua Lung’s big ass, primped as fuck manor yesterday.

Ah. Maybe there was something to work with, after all. 

“Why did you... “ Ash struggled to find the words, trying to recall as much as he could from the night before. He remembered passing out after hearing voices, he remembered being shaken, being warm and the maid, the _girl_ who looked about as old as Ash was, the shocked and fearful look on her face as Ash desperately tried to communicate with her. “Why did you help me?”

“Oh, well, you gotta thank Eiji for that. He heard you, so he came rushing like the dumbfuck he is. Sing and I didn’t wanna take you at first, but we trusted Eiji, and fuck, I’m so glad that he decided to trust him and his batshit crazy, borderline suicidal heroic instinct. I hope you don’t turn out to be the trap that _I_ thought you were, but even Sing was convinced you were alright, and you looked like you needed help, so why the fuck not, right?”

There were at least _six things_ wrong with the picture Shorter’s statement had painted. Again, what in the hell was going on?

Ash, not wanting to startle the strangely friendly boy in front of him, did a quick assessment (because all his other ones in the past few minutes ended up frustratingly inconclusive) and then chose to ask about the most obvious thing. “Why were you guys at the manor yesterday?”

Shorter barked out a laugh. “Dear God, you do _not_ want to know.” _Well, now I fucking do_ _,_ Ash thought sardonically, feeling a sort of resentment stir. He didn’t like not knowing something, or being thrown out of the loop. “We weren’t there to fuck around, though. I might tell ya after a while, when you get better. Nadia might kill me for distressing her patient.”

At that moment, Ash was starting to get suspicious. 

“Well, were you _supposed_ to be there?” he ventured. The widening of his strange half-smirk, half-smile thing told Ash the answer even before Shorter spoke.

“Definitely not.” he cackled. “Don’t regret anything, though.”

_How._

“There were cameras all around the estate.”

“Yes.”

“There were guards. There was a guardhouse full of them.”

“Oh, we saw.”

“The manor itself was huge and almost pitch black, not likely to be mapped.”

“You’re probably right.”

Digging deeper into his memories of that very fucked up night, he remembered the feeling of getting lifted. And carried. Holy shit. 

Ash swallowed. “How did you guys bring me here?”

Shorter hooted with laughter. “Believe it or not, Eiji carried you all the way to the car. I have no idea how the hell he managed to do that. Seen him right? He’s kinda on the short, wiry side, although he _does_ have rather broad shoulders and muscley arms. And he had always been good at PE and shit.”

Well, he didn’t know how to respond to that. Great. Another embarrassing realization for Ash, yip-fucking-ee. He realized belatedly that even Shorter didn’t ask for his name. Well shit, he should’ve been suspicious from the very moment he woke up. 

Ash wanted to smack the shit-eating grin right out of the guy that was starting to look like some cartoon character to Ash. Actually, his bright mohawk and his rather obvious preening kind of reminded Ash of a—

“Pluming purple peacock.” 

_This guy’s a total idiot,_ Ash schooled his face into a serious expression, masking his amusement at the gobsmacked expression on Shorter’s face. 

“What the fuck?”

“Please don’t wake the others up with that coarse mouth of yours, Shorter.” 

A woman entered the room, followed by Eiji. The woman had short, black hair, and was obviously of Chinese descent. She was slim and all sharp angles, Ash noticed. “Hello, let’s check up on your injuries. Does it hurt anywhere in particular?”

 _In particular, like she knows it hurts fuckin’ everywhere,_ Ash watched Shorter sulk in his bed, still hiding the fact that he found him to be quite entertaining. _What is with these people and my health?_

“Doesn’t hurt much,” Ash lied easily. Eiji raised his eyebrows behind the woman, but didn’t contradict him. Ash could see why there was no need for Eiji to call him out, though, as the woman seemed like she either didn’t believe him or didn’t care for his response, already knowing the answer. 

“I’ll just check up on your bruises and the cut on your arm. Shorter, go help Eiji prepare breakfast, since you’re awake and all.” Shorter squawked in protest, cementing Ash’s belief that his spirit animal must be a peacock.

“But _Eiji_ woke me up,” he complained. Nadia gave him a look, which effectively cowed him, despite being muscular and significantly bigger. Ash couldn’t really blame him, the woman was a little terrifying.

“Go on, you two. Charlie and Jenkins will arrive in a few hours to discuss what you boys found. Best take a look at them, actually, see if you can figure something out.”

“Why don’t we wake up Sing or Yue then? They’ve got brains the size of a whale’s.”

Ash blinked. “Actually, the size of a whale’s brain still depends on what kind of whale it is. Although, you were getting there. Sperm whales have the largest brains, weighing about eighteen pounds.”

Shorter groaned comically. “Eiji, don’t get near this guy, I feel like he’s sucking in my brain cells to use for his own gain!”

Eiji snorted, but instead of choosing to reply with a witty comeback like Ash would’ve done (because the guy just made it a little _too_ easy to poke fun at him), Eiji pulled Shorter up from his bed, ignoring Shorter’s moans of objection. “Sing and Yue are a lot younger than us, they need their sleep to grow. My bet’s on Sing growing up to be six foot tall, after all.”

“Fuck you, Eiji, I will remain superior to him in all things except math!” 

_“Hai, hai,_ ” Eiji sighed in exasperation. Ash wasn’t sure if that was English or not, but it probably was Japanese. The two left the room, leaving the door open. Ash wondered why, but he wasn’t about to point it out to the woman. The open door made him feel a little better, a little less confined. 

“Hello, I am Nadia.” Nadia was a rather serious-looking person, with a cool and collected aura. She looked like she knew exactly what she was doing at all times, a trait Ash respected. “What is your name?”

 _Oh,_ now _they take interest in who I am?_ Even if Ash was freely told their names, he didn't know a thing about these people and was half-itching to toss himself out the window and hit the ground running. 

“I’m Ash,” he said as Nadia sat a professional distance away from him, taking his arm and undoing the bandages. 

“You broke through your fever rather quickly.” Nadia commented off-handedly, never taking too long speaking out each word, her voice silky and as calm as she looked. Ash’s eye twitched. He had a fever last night? “There are a lot of bruises on your torso, legs and back, I need to reapply some ointment on them. Would that be okay?”

Ash didn’t really care about anyone touching his body, anyway. He was used to it. And hell, it was painful, Ash wasn’t stupid enough to play the part of a blushing adolescent now. “Go ahead.”

Nadia’s touch wasn’t shy, nor was it too much. It was kind of relieving, although Ash supposed that it was because of the medicine. “Do you have a place to go back to?”

Ash thought of his room, of Golzine’s huge mansion and Marvin’s promise of raping him directly after coming from a client. “Not really, no. But I can manage.”

“I have no doubt about that.” she replied airily, but not insincerely. Ash could always tell. “Well, you stay here first until you fully recover, and you can choose to continue lying low here for a while if the need arises.” 

He stayed silent, surprised at the offer. They had already helped him yesterday, and even if Golzine would be furious, he was definitely thankful to have been smuggled out of Lee Hua Lung’s manor. 

Ash wasn’t so sure about this anymore. 

_What do they want from me?_

The echoing question in Ash’s head, unasked and therefore unanswered, wrecked a dam in Ash’s mind. As Nadia checked over his body, Ash began to wonder why he was letting her, Ash asked himself why he was still here, what these people were gaining from being strangely kind. Ash imagined how Golzine reacted upon finding out about Ash’s disappearance, he wondered if this, _this_ was the chance that he had spent years waiting for, his chance at escape. He could run, keep running and get a job somewhere far from New York, because anything was better than staying at the mansion. But what if Golzine found him? And what if these people didn’t plan on letting him live?

No, that wouldn’t really make sense. Eiji, a stranger, had given up his bed so that Ash could rest for a few hours. 

“I am done,” Nadia announced. “You should go see what Eiji and Shorter are up to, or go back to sleep, if you like.”

“I’ll go down, thank you,” Ash murmured. A heartbeat passes. “Thank you,” Ash repeated, unsure if his first sign of gratitude was enough for her. Nadia seemed to understand, which was weird, because no one understood before. 

His paranoia replaced the growing sense of comfort that had just been present a few minutes ago. His thoughts were eating at him. 

_What do I do now? Where do I go from here? I do_ not _want to go back voluntarily, and there’s nothing of value in that manor, anyway, except maybe my gun. But I can always find another, but what if they find me and take me back by force? They expect me to run, they’ve always suspected that I had just been lying in wait. Will I just be playing into their game?_

“You are welcome, Ash.” Nadia’s voice cut through his mind working at a quick, whirlwind of a pace. 

Ash went downstairs.

Shorter and Eiji were standing over a computer, neither of them looking like they were inclined to sit on the chair. They were anxious about something, Eiji holding two cameras while Shorter typed furiously on the keyboard. 

“Yo,” Shorter greeted, having noticed him come down. He didn’t take his eyes off of the computer, though. Eiji waved and met his eyes.

“Come sit,” he invited, and Ash considered it for a moment, before sitting down. 

What had he been panicking about, again? 

Eiji set down the cameras just as a window full of files popped up on the screen. Shorter opened up several of them, giving Ash a look as well. 

“We need Sing to explain this stuff, I saw him mouthing lots of things, memorizing other information,” Eiji spoke. Shorter quickly scrolled through all the other pictures, but the quick glimpse that Ash caught was enough for Ash to recognize them for what they were.

“Those are files on people,” Ash muttered. Shorter stopped moving through the pictures, landing on what appeared to be a page from a ledger. At least, at first glance. “And that is a list of unpaid debts, complete with the contact information of the debtor.” Ash concluded after scanning the page’s contents. 

Shorter swallowed. “Sing thought this was important, yeah?” 

“He must’ve, he was concentrating a lot just to take so many pictures and memorize so much. We can ask him when he wakes up. Here, this is the picture of the map that I took.” 

A map of the US was pulled up by Eiji, but it was hardly recognizable through the markings and symbols written on it. There were crosses, stars, arrows, and while it wasn’t something completely foreign to Ash, he hadn’t the faintest of what those symbols were supposed to mean. 

Eiji flicked through the pictures, and one was a closeup of New York. Red ink was dotted all over, with locations scribbled messily beside even more strange, tiny symbols. 

Ash felt a little of his color drain from his face. He recognized some of the names that he could make out.

“Those are,” he breathed out. “I know those places.” Ash of all people would know. After all, he’d been dealing with these businesses ever since Golzine had trained him to. 

* * *

_Ring, ring._ “Yes?”

...

“Pardon me, but could you please repeat that?”

... 

“Well, I suppose that changes things. I do apologize for my charge’s actions, but perhaps this can serve as a reminder for the next time you require his services?”

...

"He was severely injured?"

...

“I did offer to have him sent to you personally, and I had already warned you about his… abilities. Ah, but worry not, I will get my best men on his trail. You say you have managed to terminate the copies of the files?”

... 

“Beautiful. Very well, I will have my men give you regular updates. Good day.”

Dino Golzine put the phone down, and lazily grew aware of something wet trailing down his hands. He blinked before sneering, watching the blood drip from his palm with a lack of real interest. 

He stood up without bothering to clean up the crushed telephone on his desk, leisurely bringing out a sheet of paper. He had work to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *waves erratically* Hello again! I have to warn you guys, that a couple of chapters will pass by slowly, before it completely goes off the rails... oop. To be quite honest, it's quite hard to continue writing especially since I'm so unsure about the quality of the chapters or the things I need to improve upon, but all your comments have been very helpful and motivating, actually. :> So thank you again! I will do my best to see through it until the very end, in the hopes that I can give you guys a good story while improving on my writing!
> 
> Also, I just wanna say that Banana Fish is truly one of the most heartbreaking animes out there, like, just a single mention of it makes me wanna cry :( My goooosh my friends think I'm crazy HAHAHAH 
> 
> I'm trying to stay on top of things but it's been a little draining here hehe, so I hope everyone is safe and happy!


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